Bioanalytical Applications of Microchip Electrophoresis: in vivo monitoring and cell analysis

Oxidative stress is involved in many neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s Disease and traumatic brain injury. New tools capable of monitoring biomarkers of oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro can be used to investigate the cause and progression of these disease states. Microchip electrophoresis is a powerful tool for the analysis of biological samples. In particular, its ability to perform fast, efficient separations of multiple analytes in a single run makes it possible to monitor several biomarkers in a single sample with high temporal resolution. In addition, the small dimensions of the channels in the chip are compatible with the analysis of microdialysis samples and single cells. In this presentation, two applications of microchip electrophoresis (ME) for biochemical investigations will be presented. The first involves the development of ME-based methods for the detection of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species (RNOS) in macrophages and immune cells. This includes direct amperometric detection of RNOS as well as the evaluation of fluorescent reagents used for specific species. The second application involves the combination of microdialysis with microchip electrophoresis for near real-time continuous in vivo monitoring of biogenic amines and biomarkers of inflammation. The ultimate goal is to use these tools to investigate the role of oxidative stress in neurodegenerative disease.