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On-chip sample pretreatment using a porous polymer monolithic column for solid-phase microextraction and chemiluminescence determination of catechins in green tea Ling Lin, ab Hui Chen, b Huibin Wei, b Feng Wang * a and Jin-Ming Lin * b Received 26th June 2011, Accepted 23rd July 2011 DOI: 10.1039/c1an15530j A porous polymer monolithic column for solid-phase microextraction and chemiluminescence detection was integrated into a simple microfluidic chip for the extraction and determination of catechins in green tea. The porous polymer was prepared by poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) and modified with ethylenediamine. Catechins can be concentrated in the porous polymer monolithic column and react with potassium permanganate to give chemiluminescence. The microfluidic chip is reusable with high sensitivity and very low reagent consumption. The on-line preconcentration and detection can be realized without an elution step. The enrichment factor was calculated to be about 20 for catechins. The relative chemiluminescence intensity increased linearly with concentration of catechin from 5.0 10 9 to 1.0 10 6 M and the limit of detection was 1.0 10 9 M. The proposed method was applied to determine catechin in green tea. The recoveries are from 90% to 110% which benefits the actual application for green tea samples. Introduction Rapid development in biotechnology has led to advances in the fields of pharmacy, materials and environmental sciences, while current separation technology struggles to meet the demands of a fast, efficient, high flux method of separation. In recent years, sample pre-treatment technology was focused on solvent-free and miniaturized methods. 1–3 Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with its advantages of solvent-free extraction, low sample consumption, simple and flexible operation has been widely used. 4,5 Since being introduced by Pawliszyn in the early 1990s, 6 the technology and application of SPME have advanced rapidly. 7–10 Polymer monoliths as a new type of structural material used in sample preparation have several merits of simple preparation, high permeability, and good biocompatibility. 11 Extraction materials currently include magnetic beads, 12 membranes, 13 monolithic columns, 14 etc., of which the mono- lithic column with its good permeability, high gathering effi- ciency, and convenience has been widely used as a solid phase extraction material. The glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) mono- lithic column has epoxy groups that are easily modified to various functional groups, and has been used in sample concentrating. 14 The microfluidic system, which features analytical automa- tion, integration and micromation, has considerable advantages in reducing reagent consumption and shortening the analysis time. In order to achieve an on-line sample pretreatment method in a microfluidic chip, an integrated microfluidic system was desired. The monolithic column method is suitable for complex sample pretreatment in a microfluidic analysis system. In recent years, several groups have designed many microfluidic devices that integrated the monolithic column in chips as a sample preparation technique. 15–19 Chemiluminescence (CL) is the phenomenon of light emission from the reaction between two or more than two compounds. An external light source is unnecessary for CL, which eliminates stray light and the instability caused by fluctuations from the light source. This reduces noise and thus improves the signal to noise ratio. Therefore, there are many reports concerning the application of CL as a detection system in microchips, e.g., CL resonance energy transfer-based detection for microchip elec- trophoresis, 20 microfluidic CD 4 + T-cell counting, 21 CL lensless imaging for personalized diagnostics through multiplex bio- analysis 22 and CL flow-through DNA microarray analysis. 23 These successful applications of CL as a highly sensitive detec- tion method in microchips encourage us to develop a more simple microfluidic device which can not only concentrate the target compounds on the chip channel, but also detect at the same channel using CL. However, in many cases, the CL detection suffers from the effect of reagents and low selectivity. A method which can concentrate the target compounds in a solid phase and then react with CL reagents directly is desirable. a State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China. E-mail: [email protected]; Fax: +86-10-62792343; Tel: +86-10-62792343 b Beijing Key Laboratory of Microanalysis and Instrumentation, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. E-mail: [email protected] 4260 | Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260–4267 This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011 Dynamic Article Links C < Analyst Cite this: Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260 www.rsc.org/analyst PAPER Downloaded by University of Aberdeen on 07 March 2013 Published on 30 August 2011 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/C1AN15530J View Article Online / Journal Homepage / Table of Contents for this issue

On-chip sample pretreatment using a porous polymer monolithic column for solid-phase microextraction and chemiluminescence determination of catechins in green tea

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Cite this: Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260

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On-chip sample pretreatment using a porous polymer monolithic column forsolid-phase microextraction and chemiluminescence determination ofcatechins in green tea

Ling Lin,ab Hui Chen,b Huibin Wei,b Feng Wang*a and Jin-Ming Lin*b

Received 26th June 2011, Accepted 23rd July 2011

DOI: 10.1039/c1an15530j

A porous polymer monolithic column for solid-phase microextraction and chemiluminescence

detection was integrated into a simple microfluidic chip for the extraction and determination of

catechins in green tea. The porous polymer was prepared by poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene

dimethacrylate) and modified with ethylenediamine. Catechins can be concentrated in the porous

polymer monolithic column and react with potassium permanganate to give chemiluminescence. The

microfluidic chip is reusable with high sensitivity and very low reagent consumption. The on-line

preconcentration and detection can be realized without an elution step. The enrichment factor was

calculated to be about 20 for catechins. The relative chemiluminescence intensity increased linearly with

concentration of catechin from 5.0 � 10�9 to 1.0 � 10�6 M and the limit of detection was 1.0 � 10�9 M.

The proposed method was applied to determine catechin in green tea. The recoveries are from 90% to

110% which benefits the actual application for green tea samples.

Introduction

Rapid development in biotechnology has led to advances in the

fields of pharmacy, materials and environmental sciences, while

current separation technology struggles to meet the demands of

a fast, efficient, high flux method of separation. In recent years,

sample pre-treatment technology was focused on solvent-free

and miniaturized methods.1–3 Solid-phase microextraction

(SPME) with its advantages of solvent-free extraction, low

sample consumption, simple and flexible operation has been

widely used.4,5 Since being introduced by Pawliszyn in the early

1990s,6 the technology and application of SPME have advanced

rapidly.7–10 Polymer monoliths as a new type of structural

material used in sample preparation have several merits of simple

preparation, high permeability, and good biocompatibility.11

Extraction materials currently include magnetic beads,12

membranes,13 monolithic columns,14 etc., of which the mono-

lithic column with its good permeability, high gathering effi-

ciency, and convenience has been widely used as a solid phase

extraction material. The glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) mono-

lithic column has epoxy groups that are easily modified to

various functional groups, and has been used in sample

concentrating.14

aState Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, BeijingUniversity of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China. E-mail:[email protected]; Fax: +86-10-62792343; Tel: +86-10-62792343bBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalysis and Instrumentation,Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.E-mail: [email protected]

4260 | Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260–4267

The microfluidic system, which features analytical automa-

tion, integration and micromation, has considerable advantages

in reducing reagent consumption and shortening the analysis

time. In order to achieve an on-line sample pretreatment method

in a microfluidic chip, an integrated microfluidic system was

desired. The monolithic column method is suitable for complex

sample pretreatment in a microfluidic analysis system. In recent

years, several groups have designed many microfluidic devices

that integrated the monolithic column in chips as a sample

preparation technique.15–19

Chemiluminescence (CL) is the phenomenon of light emission

from the reaction between two or more than two compounds. An

external light source is unnecessary for CL, which eliminates

stray light and the instability caused by fluctuations from the

light source. This reduces noise and thus improves the signal to

noise ratio. Therefore, there are many reports concerning the

application of CL as a detection system in microchips, e.g., CL

resonance energy transfer-based detection for microchip elec-

trophoresis,20 microfluidic CD4+ T-cell counting,21 CL lensless

imaging for personalized diagnostics through multiplex bio-

analysis22 and CL flow-through DNA microarray analysis.23

These successful applications of CL as a highly sensitive detec-

tion method in microchips encourage us to develop a more

simple microfluidic device which can not only concentrate the

target compounds on the chip channel, but also detect at the

same channel using CL. However, in many cases, the CL

detection suffers from the effect of reagents and low selectivity. A

method which can concentrate the target compounds in a solid

phase and then react with CL reagents directly is desirable.

This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

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In this work, we try to use a monolithic column for the solid-

phase microextration of our selected sample. The CL reagent

KMnO4 was used to react with the target compounds in the

monolithic column. Both solid-phase microextraction and CL

detection were integrated into a microfluidic chip. The analysis of

tea polyphenols was used as an application example in the

present work. Based on the reported KMnO4-catechins CL

reaction,24–26 their CL signals can be detected when a KMnO4

solution is pumped into the chip channel. A reusable catechins

analysis system was achieved with high sensitivity and low

reagent consumption. The on-line preconcentration and detec-

tion can be realized without an elution step.

Experimental

Chemicals and materials

Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA, 97% pure), ethylene dimethacry-

late (EDMA, 98% pure), ethylenediamine (99% pure), cyclo-

hexanol, 1-dodecanol, 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate

(g-MAPS, 95% pure), and epicatechin (EC), catechin (CCN),

epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epi-

gallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) were obtained from J&K

Scientific Ltd. (Beijing, China). Standard solutions (C, EC, ECG,

EGC, EGCG, were initially prepared at 1� 10�7 M by dissolving

the appropriate amount of solid in deionized water before use

and diluting to the required concentration. All water was freshly

deionized using an ultraviolet ultrapurewater system (18.3 MU

cm, Barnstead, IO, USA). 2,20-Azobis (2-methylpropionitrile)

(AIBN) was bought from Shanghai Chemical Co. Ltd.

(Shanghai, China) and was of analytical reagent grade. Potas-

sium permanganate was from Beijing Chemical Reagent

Company (Beijing, China). The CL solution of KMnO4 was

prepared in 2.0 M sulfuric acid solution. The diluted solutions

were made just prior to use. Silicon wafers were from Xilika

Crystal polishing Material Co., Ltd. (Tianjin, China). Negative

photoresist (SU-8 2050), and developer were purchased from

Microchem Corp. (Newton, MA, USA). Poly(dimethylsiloxane)

(PDMS) and curing agent were obtained from Dow Corning

(Midland, MI, USA). Glass slides were obtained from Fisher

Scientific (Pittsburgh, PA, USA). All of the other reagents not

mentioned above were of analytical grade.

Apparatus

The batch CL experiment using a 3 mL glass cuvette and the flow

CL experiment generated on the chip were performed with an

BPCL ultraweak chemiluminescence analyzer (Insitute of

Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China).

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) measurements were carried

out with a Perkin Elmer 100 FT-IR spectrometer (Massachu-

setts, MA, USA). The transmission electron microscope was

operated at 100 kV, JEOL 6301F (Japan).

Fabrication of microfluidic chip

The microfluidic chip for chemiluminescence detection of tea

polyphenols was fabricated from poly (dimethylsiloxane)

(PDMS) produced by standard soft lithography techniques.17,27

As shown in Fig. 1a and 1b, the microchannel designed was

This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

20 mm in length, 250 mm in width and 80 mm in depth. The radius

of the circle in the center of the channel for placing the monolithic

column was 5 mm. The layout of the chip was fabricated through

coating negative photoresists SU-8 2050 on a silicon wafer

cleaned by piranha solution. After photolithographic patterning

of a photoresist coated silicon wafer, a mold that carried a relief of

the desired microstructure was generated. A 10 : 1 premixed

PDMS prepolymer was prepared according to the manufacturer

instructions, degassed in a vacuum chamber for 1 h and then

poured on the mold and cured in a 70 �C oven for 2 h. The PDMS

was cut from the mold with a surgical scalpel and then the mold

was carefully peeled off. The channel inlet and outlet were

punched by a flat-tip syringe needle. The channels were sealed

with a glass cover slip after oxygen plasma treatment for 90 s.

Preparation of generic poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene

dimethacrylate) monolithic column

A custom quartz glass tube (3 cm� 5 mm, i.d.) was first activated

by 1.0 M NaOH and 1.0 M HCl for 30 min, respectively. A

3-(triethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate ethanol solution (2 : 8, v/v)

was used to fill the activated quartz glass tube. After sealing the

two ends of the quartz glass tube with silicon rubber, the reaction

was allowed to perform at 40 �C for 6 h. Then, the residual

solution was driven out and the quartz glass tube was washed

thoroughly with methanol. Nitrogen gas was driven through the

capillary to dry the inner surface before further use.

A polymerization mixture containing 24% (w/w) GMA

(functional monomer), 16% (w/w) EDMA (crosslinker), 15%

(w/w) cyclohexanol (porogens), 45% (w/w) 1-dodecanol (poro-

gens), and 1% AIBN initiator (w/w with respect to the total

monomer content) was sonicated to obtain a homogeneous

solution, and then purged with nitrogen for 15 min. The quartz

glass tube was filled with the polymerization mixture using

a syringe and sealed with rubber septa at both ends. The poly-

merization was carried out in a water bath at 60 �C for 12 h. The

column was then rinsed with acetonitrile to remove the porogens.

Amine-modified monolithic column

The monolithic capillary obtained was modified with diethyl-

amine to introduce weak amino-exchange groups at the surface

of the polymeric skeleton. The reaction scheme is presented in

Fig. 2. The column material was prepared by soaking in ethyl-

enediamine solution and placed in a 70 �C water bath for 4 h.

This completed the preparation of the diethylamine-modified

poly(GMA-co-EDMA) monolithic material used for SPME.

CL measurements

The configuration of the on-chip SPME-photomultiplier tube

(PMT) used for the study is shown in Fig. 1c and 1d. Because

potassium permanganate has a strong oxidability, in acidic

medium it is capable of redox reacting with a majority of organic

compounds, in the course of which the energy transfer is often

accompanied by a chemiluminescence reaction. Therefore, in the

experiment we used concentrated sulfuric acid to control the pH

of the potassium permanganate solution, rather than other

buffer solutions, since other components in the buffer solutions

will interfere with the chemiluminescence reaction. We placed

Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260–4267 | 4261

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Fig. 1 Integration of capillary monolithic column and CL of KMnO4 system into a microfluidic chip. (a) Schematic diagram of setup, design of

microfluidic channel (20 mm long, 250 mmwide and 80 mm deep). The radius of the circle in the center of channel for putting the monolithic column was

5 mm. The blue light is detected by a silicon photodetector and is then converted to a photocurrent; (b) Polyphenols extraction onto the monolithic

column. The CL signal could be detected when a KMnO4 solution was pumped into the microfluidic channel; (c) Microfluidic chip on the photodetector;

(d) Pictures of a whole CL reaction device.

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a photomultiplier tube which connected to a BPCL ultra-weak

luminescence analyzer directly under the PDMS microfluidic

channel for CL detection. The CL profile and intensity were

displayed and integrated for a 0.1 s interval while the voltage of

PMTwas set at 1.3 kV. The sample solution was connected to the

SPME column by a black tube. A solution of KMnO4 (pH 2.0),

which was prepared fresh before each experiment, was then

flowed through the microfluidic channel after finishing the

extraction.

Pre-treatment of tea sample

Commercial green tea leaves harvested in China were obtained

from a nearby supermarket. The dried tea leaves (1.0 g) were

extracted with 100 mL of hot water at 80 �C for 10 min and the

leaves were filtered out by filter paper. The solution was diluted

to an appropriate concentration (10 times) with water before

detection and the sample pre-treatment was carried out just

before analysis.

Results and discussion

Preparation of poly(GMA-co-EDMA) monolithic column

The preparation of the poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene

dimethacrylate) (GMA-EDMA) monolith is shown in Fig. 2.

The principle was based on the report from Svec’s group.28 It was

polymerized in situ from GMA and EDMA by heating in the

4262 | Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260–4267

presence of porogenic solvent and initiator. The epoxide groups

of the polymerized glycidyl methacrylate were allowed to react

with diethylamine according to the reaction. The setup of the

SPME in the microfluidic channel is shown in Fig. 1a and 1b.

Monoliths were prepared at the desired location in the quartz

glass tube which was integrated into the microfluidic channel. A

cross-linker provides the material with high mechanical stability

and contributes to the formation of the macroporous structure.

Special care was taken to eliminate oxygen (a typical inhibitor in

free radical polymerization) during preparation. Therefore, the

prepared prepolymer solution was degassed by sonication to

eliminate the dissolved oxygen. To remove the cross-linker,

porogens and initiator in the SPME, the prepared SPME was

rinsed thoroughly with acetonitrile and water.

Porogenic solvents are another important part of the poly-

merization mixtures. Their function is to dissolve all monomers

and initiator to form a homogeneous solution and to control the

phase separation process during polymerization in order to

achieve the desired pore structure. A porogenic mixture con-

sisting of methanol and hexane was considered to be suitable for

the preparation of the monolithic concentrators.

This porogenic solvent was developed via an extensive study of

a large number which will be published elsewhere. They are

characterized by very large pores that provide the monoliths with

a low flow resistance and allow the use of a high flow rate. Flow

rates of up to 50 mL min�1 can be achieved without causing

mechanical damage to the monoliths.

This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

Page 4: On-chip sample pretreatment using a porous polymer monolithic column for solid-phase microextraction and chemiluminescence determination of catechins in green tea

Fig. 2 Preparation of polymer monolithic material. Reaction of poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolithic material with

ethylenediamine solution with amine modification.

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Since the tea polyphenols are hydrophobic and aromatic with

a benzene ring and a phenolic hydroxyl, the poly(glycidyl

methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) was modified on the

hydrophobic skeleton to form a strong bonding between the

amino functional group and the analyte. The role of hydrophobic

function, p–p interactions and hydrogen bonding, can increase

the adsorption of the monolithic column.

Fig. 3a is the appearance of the scanning electron micrograph

prepared from the poly(GMA-co-EDMA) monolithic column.

We can see from this figure, the overall size of the column has

a regular and uniform shape. The surface of the whole column

Fig. 3 SEM micrograph of the internal structure of the poly (GMA-co-E

magnification; (b) FT-IR spectra of monolithic column before (line 1) and af

This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

shows the structure of particle clusters. Microsphere particles

interconnected into a continuous skeleton and between the skel-

eton there were interconnected macroporous structures. These

micron-scale macropores provide good permeability. It is condu-

cive to increase the extraction capacity andaccelerate the exchange

of analytes in the material. From Fig. 3a we can also see that there

is no obvious cleft on the surface of the monolithic material.

The chemical state of the modified amino monolithic column

surface was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy. As the

comparison shows in Fig. 3b, the modification of the monolithic

column surface by the ethylenediamine solution gives a newly

DMA) monolithic columns. (a) GMA-co-EDMA monolith at 50 mm

ter amine modification (line 2).

Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260–4267 | 4263

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developing absorption peak at 3300 cm�1 and 3570 cm�1, which is

assigned to –NH2 groups and –OH groups respectively. The shift

of the peak was caused by the –NH2 group being modified onto

the monolithic column. It suggests that the –NH2 groups have

been successfully grafted onto the monolithic column after

modification. And the vibrations of C]O and C–O (1730 cm�1

and 1150 cm�1 respectively) were observed. They were covalently

bonded to the monolithic column frameworks enhancing the

stability and hydrophobicity of the monolithic column in

aqueous systems.

Fig. 4 The CL profile for the detection of 1.0 � 10�7 M catechins by on-

chip polymer monolithic column SPME (a) and by injection without

preconcentration (b).

Sample pretreatment using the prepared material for SPME

The extraction capacity of the polymer monolithic column was

tested with series of standardized catechin solutions, the

concentration range of which varied from 1.0 � 10�9 to 1.0 �10�3 M. The results indicated that the extraction capacity

increased with increasing concentration of the analyte. It

demonstrated that the polymer monolithic column exhibited

high extraction potential for the target analytes. The large

extraction capacity was due to the extraction mechanism, which

was mainly nonspecific adsorption derived from the interaction

of polar groups between the analytes and functional monomers

in the polymeric sorbent.

The monolithic column was synthesized inside a quartz glass

tube (3 cm � 4 mm i.d.). An activation step of the polymer

monolithic column involves methanol and water (1 : 1, v/v)

flowing through the extraction column with a speed of 20 ml

min�1. Then a rinse step with acetonitrile and water (1 : 1, v/v)

was added to the polymer monolithic column with a speed of

20 ml min�1 after the CL reaction step in order to wash off salts

and/or superfluous catechins remaining on the surface of the

column. These rinse solutions were subsequently analyzed for the

presence of catechins. Catechin was not detected in any of these

solutions indicating that no detectable amount of catechins

remained on the column after the CL reaction step.

To test the long-term stability and reuse of the polymer

monolithic column, a large number of the measurements

described above were carried out using a single microfluidic chip

containing the same polymer monolithic column. The monolithic

column used over a period of 2 months with 30 injections of

different concentrations of catechins showed no evident oxida-

tion due to KMnO4, indicating the reusability of the column.

The extraction efficiency of the polymer monolithic column for

catechins was studied. The extraction efficiency can be repre-

sented by the enrichment factor,29 which is the ratio of the peak

area obtained with on-chip polymer monolithic column SPME

(Fig. 4a) to that of the corresponding analyte in the extraction

solution without preconcentration, i.e. direct injection (Fig. 4b).

According to the extraction results as shown in Fig. 4, the

enrichment factor was calculated to be 20 for catechins. Appar-

ently, the enrichment ability of on-chip polymer monolithic

column SPME was sufficient to concentrate trace catechins in

a tea sample for analysis by CL.

Optimization of the CL detection conditions

Parameters were investigated to establish the optimal conditions

for the KMnO4-hydroxyl CL detection system as shown in

4264 | Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260–4267

Fig. 5. The CL intensities in the figures were generated by sub-

tracting the background from the peak value of the original

intensities.

The effect of concentration on the CL intensity was studied. In

Fig. 5a, the CL intensity increased steadily with the increasing

KMnO4 concentration from 0 to 1.0 � 10�6 M and then the CL

intensity began to decline from 1.0 � 10�6 M to 1.0 � 10�4 M in

the flow-injection system. Therefore, 1.0 � 10�6 M of KMnO4

was selected in the CL system.

As shown in Fig. 5b the CL intensity was increased with

increasing the pH value and reached a maximum at pH 2.08 in

the flow-injection system. There was a much weaker CL signal

when the pH was above 4.30. The pH of the KMnO4 solution

was demonstrated to have a significant effect on the CL

intensity, and pH 2.08 was selected for the following CL

reaction.

As shown in Fig. 5c, the flow rate of sample solution from 0 mL

min�1 to 50 mL min�1 was tested in our experiment and the peak

value of the CL intensity was the largest in the 30 mLmin�1 infuse

rate experiment. But the noise was also increased with increasing

rates. Considering analytical precision and solution consump-

tion, the optimal flow rate was 30 mL min�1.

Time control of monolithic column sample extraction is

necessary. The effects of extraction time were determined in the

range from 1 to 30 min. The results shown in Fig. 5d indicated

that 5 min was effective for our experiments.

Effects of catechin type on CL intensity

Under the optimized experimental conditions, the CL behavior

of CCN, EG, EGC, ECG and EGCG single standard solutions

at the concentration of 1 � 10�7 M with the proposed method

was studied, respectively. As shown in Fig. 6, the variability of

CL intensity from different catechins was small, indicating that

the CL doesn’t depend on the catechin type. This study

demonstrated that the total catechin amount can be measured by

this CL reaction method.

This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

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Fig. 5 Effects of several parameters on the CL intensity. Conditions: (a) pH 2.10, 1 � 10�7 M catechins and flow rate 30 mL min�1. (b) 1 � 10�6 M

KMnO4, 1 � 10�7 M catechins and flow rate 30 mL min�1. (c) pH 1.90, 1 � 10�6 M KMnO4 and 1 � 10�7 M catechins. (d) pH 2.05, 1 � 10�6 M KMnO4,

1 � 10�7 M catechins and flow rate 30 mL min�1.

Fig. 6 Effects of catechin type on CL intensity.

This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

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Analytical performance of on-chip CL method

Under the optimum experimental conditions, the CL intensity

increased linearly in the concentration range from 5.0 � 10�9 M

to 1.0 � 10�6 M for catechin (Fig. 7). The detection limit of this

method is 1.0 � 10�9 M catechin at S/N ratio of 3. The relative

standard deviation (RSD) of ten parallel measurements (for

single column) at 1.0 � 10�8 M catechins in the CL system was

4.8%. The column-to-column RSD was found to be 5.7% (n¼ 5).

The results indicate that the proposed CL method has good

linearity and high sensitivity and precision.

Interference studies

Compounds of similar structures to catechins which could

interfere in the detection were evaluated. The interferences were

added into 1.0 � 10�8 M catechins and examined by the

proposed method. Most ions did not interfere with the deter-

mination of high concentration levels of catechins solution. The

Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260–4267 | 4265

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Fig. 7 (a) Relationship between the CL intensity and the concentration of catechins. (b) CL signals for the determination of catechins. Concentration of

catechins (M) (1) 1.0 � 10�9; (2) 1.0 � 10�8; (3) 1.0 � 10�7; (4) 1.0 � 10�6; (5) tea sample 1; (6) tea sample 2.

Table 2 Result of catechins determination and recoveries in three greentea samples

Sample No.Added(�10�7 M)

Observed(�10�7 M) Recovery (%) RSD (%, n ¼ 3)

1 0 0.22 — —0.40 0.63 103 3.20.20 0.44 110 5.80.10 0.31 90 2.3

2 0 0.20 — —

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effects of some components of green tea, such as glucose and

sucrose, caffeine, albumin, glutamic acid were also investigated

and their interference could be excluded. Glutamic acid with the

concentration beyond 2.0 � 10�4 M could affect and quench the

CL. But their interferences could be neglected due to the low

concentration in samples and the appropriate dilution. The

results are summarized in Table 1, which demonstrated the high

selectivity of the present method for the determination of green

tea.

0.40 0.57 93 4.10.20 0.39 95 2.50.10 0.29 90 6.2

3 0 0.37 — —0.80 1.22 106 1.70.40 0.76 98 3.40.20 0.58 105 7.2

Application

The proposed method was applied to the determination of green

tea (Fig. 7). Different kinds of green tea were purchased from

a market. Samples were prepared as described above. The results

showed that the coexisting substances in the samples did not

interfere with the determination. Recovery tests were performed

to evaluate the accuracy of this method. The results for the

contents and recoveries are summarized in Table 2. The recov-

eries from 90% to 110% indicate that the method outlined in this

experiment is a direct and simple way to analyze the catechins in

green tea.

Aside from the inherent advantage of CL detection, the high

sensitivity was also due to the existence of large numbers of

Table 1 Assessment of the interference by metal ions and organiccompounds in the CL method for green tea

Species addedMole ratio(Cspecies/CAA)

Variation of the CLpeak height (%, n ¼ 5)

K+ 1000 0.12PO4

3� 1000 1.02SO4

2� 1000 0.69Ca2+ 1000 1.12Glucose 200 �1.48Sucrose 200 2.32Caffeine 200 4.12Albumin 150 2.62Glutamic acid 2 �4.61

4266 | Analyst, 2011, 136, 4260–4267

recognition sites for catechins in the column. Hence, all the

catechins adhered on the monolithic column and can react with

KMnO4 solution. In addition, this strategy can be also utilized in

the detection of other tea samples or analytes, since any aptamer-

target binding event can be translated to an adsorption modifi-

cation on the monolithic column principally. Using this method,

only 5 min was required to finish the sample extraction, while the

CL detection can also be accomplished in less than 5 min.

Consequently, due to the features of microfluidic devices, the

time and sample volume consumption were significantly

decreased compared to other methods for catechin detection,30,31

and it was exactly in conformity with the desire of sample

detection.

Conclusions

In conclusion, a simple and highly efficient microfluidic chip was

designed by the combination of solid phase micro-extraction and

chemiluminescence. As to demonstrate the applications of the

microfluidic chip, polyphenols were extracted from green tea and

detected via on-line chemiluminescence using it. A reusable

catechins analysis system was achieved with high sensitivity and

This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

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very low reagent consumption. The online preconcentration and

detection can be realized without an elution step. Good stability

and reusability of SPME was achieved which benefits the actual

application for green tea samples. And the high sensitivity of the

CL was successfully introduced into the detection of catechins in

samples, which can be a cheap and effective method for the

quality detection of green tea.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foun-

dation of China (Nos. 20935002, 90813015).

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