Xiao-Lan Chen

Flow injection fluorescence immunoassay for gentamicin using sol-gel-derived mesoporous biomaterial

Sol-gel-derived mesoporous biomaterials were used for the first time in the flow-injection fluorescence immunoassay system. Anti-gentamicin antibody was immobilized in a mesoporous sol-gel material using tetramethoxysilane as a precursor and poly(ethylene glycol) as a template. The sol-gel glass was used to develop an immunoaffinity column for the flow-injection immunoassay of gentamicin. Little unspecific adsorption of gentamicin on the sol-gel and no antibody leaching under harsh elution conditions were found. The immunoassay is based on the competition between gentamicin and fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled gentamicin for a limited number of encapsulated antibody binding sites. NaOH solution of 5 x 10(-3)mol/L is used for the regeneration of encapsulated antibody binding sites after each measurement, which allows the immunoreactor to be used for up to 20 times without any loss of reactivity. Sample preconcentration is not needed and a single assay can be performed within 10 min. The calibration for gentamicin has a working range of 250-5000 ng/mL with a detection limit of 200 ng/mL, which is close to that of the fluorescence immunoassay and fluorescence polarization immunoassay using the same reactants. Comparison of the results from this method with that obtained from HPLC showed an excellent correlation.

Determination of proteins at nanogram levels by a resonance light-scattering technique with tetra-substituted sulphonated aluminum phthalocyanine

This is the first report on the determination of proteins with tetra-substituted sulphonated aluminum phthalocyanine (AlS(4)Pc) by resonance light-scattering (RLS). At pH 3.0, the weak RLS of AlS(4)Pc can be enhanced by the addition of proteins. Based on this, a novel quantitative method has been developed for the determination of proteins in aqueous solutions. Under optimal conditions, the linear ranges of the calibration curves were 0.050-2.0 mug ml(-1) for both human serum albumin (HSA) and human r-IgG. The detection limits were 12.7 ng ml(-1) for HSA and 16.1 ng ml(-1) for human r-IgG. The method has been applied to the analysis of total protein in human serum samples collected from the hospital and the results were in good agreement with those reported by the hospital, which indicates that the method presented here is not only sensitive, simple, but also reliable and suitable for practical applications.

A new red-region substrate, tetra-substituted amino aluminium phthalocyanine, for the fluorimetric determination of H2O2 catalyzed by mimetic peroxidases

A new red-region fluorogenic substrate, tetra-substituted amino aluminium pthalocyanine, was developed for the selective determination of H2O2 based on the catalytic effect of mimetic peroxidases, viz., hemin or iron tetrasulfonatophthalocyanine (FeTSPc). Under the optimum conditions, the linearity of the calibration graph for the determination of H2O2 with hemin (or FeTSPc) as the catalyst was in the range from 0.0 to 3.0 x 10(-7) mol L-1 (or from 0.0 to 2.0 x 10(-6) mol L-1). The detection limits were 3.7 x 10(-9) and 4.9 x 10(-9) mol L-1 H2O2, respectively. The relative standard deviation (n = 7) was within 1.5% in the middle of the linear range. The peroxidase activity of the mimetic enzymes hemin and FeTSPc, the effects of some experimental conditions and the influence of foreign substances were investigated. With this substrate, 0.0-7.5 x 10(-8) mol L-1 hemin and 0.0-2.0 x 10(-6) mol L-1 FeTSPc can be determined with an accuracy and precision of about 1.3%. The potential application of the reagent was tested by the determination of H2O2 in rainwater.

Brilliant cresyl blue as a new red region fluorescent probe for determination of nucleic acids

Abstract A fluorescence quenching method was developed for determination of microamounts of nucleic acids by using brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) as a new red region fluorescent probe. In aqueous hexylmethylene tetramine solution, BCB showed maximum excitation and emission wavelengths at 626 and 670 nm, respectively, and the fluorescence of BCB could be greatly quenched by DNA (or RNA). Under optimal conditions, the calibration graphs are linear over the range of 0.02–0.80 μg/ml for SM DNA and 0.25–1.5 μg/ml for yeast RNA. The corresponding detection limits are 7 ng/ml for SM DNA and 25 ng/ml for yeast RNA, respectively. SM DNA can be determinated in the presence of 40% (w/w) RNA, and the relative standard deviation of six measurements is 2.5% for 500 ng/ml SM DNA. The result of the determination of golden staphylococcus DNA by this method was satisfactory.

Exploitation of reversed micelles as a medium in mimetic peroxidase-catalyzed fluorogenic reaction between hydrogen peroxide and l-tyrosine.

The peroxidase activity of mimetic enzyme, iron tetrasulfonatophthalocyanine (FeTSPc), was characterized in reversed micelles of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) formed in n-heptane-n-pentanol solution (2:1, V:V). The assay is based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation reaction of l-tyrosine (l-tyr) by hydrogen peroxide. The influences of environmental factors, such as the water content, CTAB concentration and pH, on the peroxidase activity of FeTSPc were investigated. It was observed that the reaction rate was distinctly enhanced in CTAB reversed micelles as compared with the rate in aqueous solution. Under optimum conditions, application of the FeTSPc-catalyzed fluorescence system in reversed micelles to the determination of H(2)O(2) and FeTSPc led to a highly sensitive system compared with that in aqueous solution, permitting detection limits of 5x10(-9) mol l(-1) H(2)O(2) and 2.3x10(-9) mol l(-1) FeTSPc. The advantages and limitations of employing the reversed micellar media in such mimetic peroxidase-catalyzed fluorescent detection schemes were discussed.