Fast and quantitative analysis of branched-chain amino acids in biological samples using a pillar array column

Anal Bioanal Chem. 2013 Oct;405(25):7993-9. doi: 10.1007/s00216-013-7034-7. Epub 2013 May 25.

Abstract

In this study, a fast and quantitative determination method for branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), namely leucine, isoleucine, and valine, was developed using a pillar array column. A pillar array column with low-dispersion turns was fabricated on a 20 × 20-mm(2) microchip using multistep ultraviolet photolithography and deep reactive ion etching. The BCAAs were fluorescently labeled with 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F), followed by reversed-phase separation on the pillar array column. The NBD derivatives of the three BCAAs and an internal standard (6-aminocaproic acid) were separated in 100 s. The calibration curves for the NBD-BCAAs had good linearity in the range of 0.4-20 μM, using an internal standard. The intra- and interday precisions were found to be in the ranges of 1.42-3.80 and 2.74-6.97%, respectively. The accuracies for the NBD-BCAA were from 90.2 to 99.1%. The method was used for the analysis of sports drink and human plasma samples. The concentrations of BCAAs determined by the developed method showed good agreements with those determined using a conventional high-performance liquid chromatography system. As BCAAs are important biomarkers of some diseases, these results showed that the developed method could be a potential diagnostic tool in clinical research.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids, Branched-Chain / blood*
  • Beverages / analysis
  • Calibration
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / instrumentation*
  • Equipment Design
  • Humans
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
  • Limit of Detection
  • Oxadiazoles / chemistry

Substances

  • Amino Acids, Branched-Chain
  • Oxadiazoles