Poly-ε-caprolactone Nanofibrous Polymers: A Simple Alternative to Restricted Access Media for Extraction of Small Molecules from Biological Matrixes

Anal Chem. 2020 May 19;92(10):6801-6805. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c00544. Epub 2020 Apr 30.

Abstract

Poly-ε-caprolactone nanofibrous polymer has been used as an alternative to restricted access media for extraction of protein-containing biological samples and direct transfer in the chromatographic system. Three commercial cartridges differing in length and internal diameter have been manually packed with the composite material prepared from poly-ε-caprolactone nanofibers coated on poly-ε-caprolactone microfibrous scaffold and connected to the column-switching chromatographic system. Bovine milk and human serum (25 μL) spiked with a mixture of methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, and butylparaben in a concentration range of 1-100 μg mL-1 were online extracted using the cartridge-containing fibers. Then, 5 and 20% (v/v) aqueous methanol was applied as the washing mobile phase. While the ballast protein macromolecules were quantitatively eluted from the nano/microfibrous composite sorbent, the parabens were retained. After the mobile phase was switched to a stronger one, these compounds were then eluted from the extraction sorbent, directed in the analytical column, and finally separated. An extraction efficiency of 86-101% for all parabens achieved using the optimum-sized cartridge and a repeatability of the extraction procedure of 0.06-1.95% RSD were obtained.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Humans
  • Milk / chemistry
  • Nanofibers / chemistry*
  • Polyesters / chemistry*
  • Proteins / analysis*
  • Solid Phase Extraction

Substances

  • Polyesters
  • Proteins
  • polycaprolactone