Microchip capillary electrophoresis of nitrite and nitrate in cerebrospinal fluid

Abstract

Microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) is a relatively new analytical method requiring only small sample amounts, which is very favorable for the analysis of volume-limited biofluids. The practical use of MCE in bioanalysis is still restricted in terms of requirements for simplifying and/or concentrating sample pretreatment techniques. Here, we describe an MCE method for trace analysis of nitrite and nitrate, indicators of various neurological diseases, in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The complex CSF samples were simplified by solid-phase microextraction prior to an online combination of isotachophoresis with capillary zone electrophoresis performed on a microchip with coupled channels and a high-volume sample injection channel (9.9 μL). The method is suitable for rapid (total analysis time lasted 20 min), reproducible (0.6–2.4 % RSD for migration time), and sensitive (3–9 nM limits of detection) determinations of nitrite and nitrate in 15–50 times diluted CSF samples.