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An eco-friendly solvent-free reaction based on peptide probes: design an extraction-free method for analysis of acrylamide under microliter volume

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Abstract

Acrylamide is a group 2A carcinogen and potential endocrine disruptor that can enter the ecosystem by various routes and has recently become a dangerous pollutant. This widely used chemical can enter the human body via air inhalation, food or water consumption, or skin contact. In this study, we developed a peptide probe for the detection of acrylamide by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) after its micro-tagging with a peptide. Direct detection of acrylamide by MALDI-TOF MS is not feasible due to its poor ionization in the MALDI interface, which hinders its analysis by the technique. After microwave irradiation for 2 min, the formed acrylamide-peptide derivative was detected easily by MALDI-TOF MS without the need for extraction procedures. The procedure does not involve organic solvents and a water-soluble peptide that allows detection of acrylamide in small sample volumes with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.05 ng/μL. The relative standard deviation (RSD) and relative error (RE) of the measurements were < 6.7% for intra- and inter-day assays. Gel-washing solutions from a polyacrylamide gel experiment were used as a model to study the efficiency of the developed method. Finally, we used the proposed method for the detection of free acrylamide in small volumes of lung epithelial cells (a model to test the air inhalation of acrylamide under a tiny volume of sample) and human urine. The developed method will enable rapid acrylamide detection in environmental and biological samples via a green approach based on microwave-assisted derivatization in water alongside the use of a less toxic derivatization reagent, reusable target plate, and miniaturization protocols.

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Acknowledgements

Instrumentation support from the Center for Resources, Research and Development, Kaohsiung Medical University, is appreciated.

Funding

This study was financially supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 109–2113-M-037–002 and MOST 110–2113-M-037–001) and the NSYSU-KMU Joint Research Project (110-P003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan

    Yi-Shan Li & Chi-Yu Lu

  2. Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan

    Jau-Ling Suen

  3. Department of Chemistry, College of Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan

    Wei-Lung Tseng

  4. Institute of Medical Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan

    Chi-Yu Lu

  5. Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan

    Chi-Yu Lu

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  1. Yi-Shan Li
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Correspondence to Chi-Yu Lu.

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The experiments were approved by the Institutional Review Board of Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital. The method was performed in accordance with the approved guidelines, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

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Li, YS., Suen, JL., Tseng, WL. et al. An eco-friendly solvent-free reaction based on peptide probes: design an extraction-free method for analysis of acrylamide under microliter volume. Anal Bioanal Chem 413, 7531–7539 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-021-03717-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-021-03717-6

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