Development of a Capillary Zone Electrophoretic Method for the Rapid Separation and Detection of Hepatotoxic Microcystins

Analysis of trace amounts of various hepatotoxic microcystins in marine and freshwater samples is very important since these toxins, especially microcystin-LR, have been demonstrated to have tumour-promoting activity. In this study, instead of measuring the total amount of microcystins, we developed a capillary zone electrophoretic method for the separation and detection of individual toxin standards. No additives were used for enhancement of resolution. This technique is characterized by a high separation efficiency, short analysis time and small sample volume. In order to improve the detection sensitivity, a laser-induced fluorescence detector was used, and the labelling of microcystins was accomplished through a two-step procedure. First, the microcystin standards were converted into cysteine conjugates, followed by derivatization with Fluorescein 5-Isothiocyanate (FITC). After derivatization, the FITC-labelled microcystins were directly injected, separated and detected in 8 min. This method was shown to be a promising technique for sensitive and rapid analysis of individual microcystin toxins.