A digital microfluidic interface between solid-phase microextraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Kihwan Choi; Ezel Boyacı; Jihye Kim; Brendon Seale; Luis Barrera-Arbelaez; Janusz Pawliszyn; Aaron R Wheeler

doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2016.03.029

A digital microfluidic interface between solid-phase microextraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

J Chromatogr A. 2016 Apr 29:1444:1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2016.03.029. Epub 2016 Mar 16.

Authors

Kihwan Choi¹, Ezel Boyacı², Jihye Kim³, Brendon Seale³, Luis Barrera-Arbelaez³, Janusz Pawliszyn², Aaron R Wheeler⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada; Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, 160 College St., Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada; Division of Metrology for Quality of Life, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
³ Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada; Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, 160 College St., Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada; Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St., Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada. Electronic address: aaron.wheeler@utoronto.ca.

PMID: 27048987
DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2016.03.029

Abstract

We introduce a method to couple solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with HPLC-MS using digital microfluidics (DMF). In the new system, SPME fibers are used to extract analytes from complex sample solutions, after which the analytes are desorbed into solvent droplets in a DMF device. The open geometry of DMF allows straightforward insertion of SPME fibers without requiring a complicated interface, and automated droplet manipulation enables multiplexed processing of the fibers. In contrast to other multiplexed SPME elution interfaces, the low volumes inherent to DMF allow for pre-concentration of analytes prior to analysis. The new SPME-DMF-HPLC-MS method was applied to the quantification of pg/mL-level free steroid hormones in urine. We propose that this new method will be useful for a wide range of applications requiring cleanup and pre-concentration with convenient coupling to high-performance analytical techniques.

Keywords: Digital microfluidics; HPLC-MS; Hormone; SPME; Solid-phase microextraction; Steroid; Urine.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / methods*
Chromatography, Liquid*
Humans
Microfluidics*
Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted*
Solid Phase Microextraction*
Solutions
Solvents
Tandem Mass Spectrometry*

Substances

Solutions
Solvents