Research advances in capillary gel electrophoresis for detecting biomacromolecules

J Chromatogr A. 2026 May 10:1774:466850. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2026.466850. Epub 2026 Feb 28.

Abstract

Capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) has been employed for the separation of biomacromolecules for over thirty years. Thanks to advances in gel materials and the ongoing development of electrophoresis instruments, the CGE method has now become one of the recognized gold standards for routine separation and analysis of biomacromolecules. This is due to its superior separation capabilities and the high robustness and reliability of its results. This paper reviews the research progress and applications of CGE in the separation and analysis of biomacromolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides, between 2015 and 2025, and offers a prospect on the future development of this technology.

Keywords: Biomacromolecules; Capillary gel electrophoresis; Nucleic acid; Polysaccharides; Protein.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Electrophoresis, Capillary / methods
  • Humans
  • Macromolecular Substances* / analysis
  • Macromolecular Substances* / isolation & purification
  • Nucleic Acids* / analysis
  • Nucleic Acids* / isolation & purification
  • Polysaccharides / analysis
  • Polysaccharides / isolation & purification
  • Proteins* / analysis
  • Proteins* / isolation & purification

Substances

  • Proteins
  • Nucleic Acids
  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Polysaccharides