Enhanced stability self-assembled coatings for protein separations by capillary zone electrophoresis through the use of long-chained surfactants

Semipermanent coatings were generated within fused-silica capillaries by flushing the capillary with a 0.1 mM solution of the double-chained cationic surfactants didodecyldimethylammonium bromide, dimethylditetradecylammonium bromide (2C(14)DAB), dihexadecyldimethylammonium bromide, and dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (2C(18)DAB) and the triple-chained surfactant tridodecylmethylammonium iodide. All of these coatings were semipermanent, whereby the coating remained intact after the unadsorbed surfactant was removed from the capillary. The separation efficiencies for four model cationic proteins ranged from 1.2 to 1.4 million plates/m for the 2C(14)DAB coating to 0.3-0.4 million plates/m for the 2C(18)DAB coatings. The stability of the coating increased with increasing hydrophobicity of the surfactant (i.e., increasing chain length and decreasing cmc). Over 60 successive separations were performed on a 2C(18)DAB-coated capillary over 12 days, without any regeneration of the coating. The migration times varied by less than 2.3% over this period with no loss in efficiency.     

Simultaneous enantioseparation and tandem UV-MS detection of eight beta-blockers in micellar electrokinetic chromatography using a chiral molecular micelle

The feasibility of using a new and more versatile polymeric chiral surfactant, i.e., poly(sodium N-undecenoxy carbonyl-L-leucinate (poly-L-SUCL) is investigated for simultaneous enantioseparation and detection of eight structurally similar beta-blockers with tandem UV and MS detection. Three optimization approaches, i.e., direct infusion-MS, capillary zone electrophoresis-MS, and chiral micellar electrokinetic chromatography-mass spectrometry (CMEKC-MS), were investigated to optimize sheath liquid parameters, spray chamber parameters, and CMEKC separation parameters for maximum sensitivity and chiral resolution. Compared to unpolymerized micelle of L-SUCL, the use of micelle polymer (i.e., poly-L-SUCL) provided significantly higher separation efficiency, lower separation current, and higher detection sensitivity for CMEKC-ESI-MS of beta-blockers. It was also observed that, unlike monomeric L-SUCL, polymeric L-SUCL provided enantioseparation of all beta-blockers even at the lowest surfactant concentration (i.e., 5 mM poly-L-SUCL). Under optimum CMEKC and ESI-MS conditions (15 mM poly-L-SUCL, 25 mM each of NH4OAc and TEA (pH 8.0); 80% (v/v) methanol sheath liquid containing 40 mM NH4OAc (pH 8.0); sheath liquid flow rate, 5.0 microL/min; drying gas flow rate, 5 L/min; drying gas temperature, 200 degrees C; nebulizing pressure, 6 psi (0.414 bar); capillary voltage, +2.5 kV; fragmentor voltage, 85 V), baseline enantioseparation of eight beta-blockers was achieved by tandem UV (in approximately 30 min) and MS (in approximately 60 min) detection. Calibration curves for all beta-blockers were linear in the range of 0.01-0.6 mM for both CMEKC-UV and CMEKC-MS methods, but the later method provided better concentration limit of detection with similar RSD for migration time and peak areas. The CMEKC-ESI-MS method appears suitable for use as a routine procedure for high-throughput separation of beta-blockers with high sensitivity.     

Factors Affecting the Efficiency of a Self-Emulsifying Oral Delivery System

Dosage forms containing a self-emulsifying system have shown significant promise in improving the in vitro dissolution rate and oral absorption of lipophilic drugs. In such a system, a surfactant, or a surfactant plus medium chain monoglyceride (co-emulsifier), is added to a lipophilic vehicle (oil) containing dissolved drug. In the present study, surfactants with different hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB), fatty acid glycerides (co-emulsifiers) with varying fatty acid (C₈-C₁₈) chain length, and lipophilic vehicles (oils) containing different fatty acid (C₈-C₁₈) compositions were evaluated for their effectiveness in producing self-emulsifying systems. nis investigation showed that the HLB of the surfactant, as well as the fatty acid chain length of the monoglyceride have a significant effect on the performance of the self-emulsifying system; a surfactant with an HLB in the range of 10-15 and a monoglyceride of medium chain fatty acid (C₈-C₁₀) were most effective. Also, there are certain critical concentrations of surfactant and monoglyceride necessary for preparing an optimum self-emulsifying oral drug delivery system.     

An HPLC-MS approach for analysis of very long chain fatty acids and other apolar compounds on octadecyl-silica phase using partly miscible solvents

A novel approach for analyzing underivatized very long chain fatty acids (C16-C26) and other apolar compounds such as triacylglycerols is described. It is based on reversed-phase HPLC separation followed by mass spectrometric detection. Partly miscible solvents are used for stepwise gradient elution starting with a methanol/water and ending with a methanol/n-hexane binary mixture. The developed technique does not need derivatization, and analysis is fast (fatty acids were separated in 2-min-long chromatograms) and robust. The developed method is also very sensitive; a quantitation limit in the low-picogram range was achieved for fatty acids. The separation mechanism and advantages of the suggested technique are discussed and illustrated in the case of blood analysis and plant oil characterization.     

Capillary HPLC-NMR Coupling: High-Resolution (1)H NMR Spectroscopy in the Nanoliter Scale

Coupling HPLC and NMR is one of the most powerful techniques for simultaneous separation and structural elucidation of unknown compounds in mixtures. To date, however, minimizing the detection volume, as is required when coupling NMR with miniaturized separation techniques, has been accompanied by a dramatic loss in resolution of the NMR spectra. Here, we report on the coupling of gradient capillary HPLC with on-column, high-resolution NMR detection. On-line stopped-flow and static (1)H NMR spectra were acquired with capillary columns of 75-315 μm i.d. With detection over a length of 1.2 cm, cell volumes cover a range of 50-900 nL. An on-line-detected NMR separation of dansylated amino acids was carried out in a 315 μm i.d. fused silica capillary packed to a length of 12 cm with C(18) stationary phase. The low solvent consumption makes the use of fully deuterated solvents economically feasible. NMR spectra with resolution on the order of 3 Hz were obtained using a 50 nL detection cell to measure 1.1 nmol of dansylated γ-aminobutyric acid under static conditions in a 75 μm i.d. capillary.     

CE/electrospray ionization-MS analysis of underivatized d/l-amino acids and several small neurotransmitters at attomole levels through the use of 18-crown-6-tetracarboxylic acid as a complexation reagent/background electrolyte

A new capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry technique is introduced for attomole detection of primary amines (including several neurotransmitters), amino acids, and their d/l enantiomers in one run through the use of a complexation reagent while using only approximately 1 nL of sample. The technique uses underivatized amino acids in conjunction with an underivatized capillary, which significantly reduces cost and analysis time. It was found that when (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid (18-C-6-TCA, MW 440) was used as the background electrolyte/complexation reagent during the capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CE/ESI-MS) analysis of underivatized amino acids, stable complexes were formed between the amino acids and the 18-C-6-TCA molecules. These complexes, which exhibited high ionization efficiencies, were detectable at attomole levels for most amino acids. The detection limits of the AA/18-C-6-TCA complexes were on the average more than 2 orders of magnitude lower than that of the free amino acids in solution. In addition to lower detection limits under CE/ESI-MS, a solution of 18-C-6-TCA in the concentration range of 5-30 mM provided high separation efficiency for mixtures of l-amino acids as well as mixtures of d/l-amino acids. By using a solution of 18-C-6-TCA as the background electrolyte in conjunction with an underivatized, 130-cm-long, 20-microm-i.d., 150-microm-o.d. fused-silica capillary and by monitoring the m/z range of the amino acid/18-C-6-TCA complexes (m/z 515-700), most of the standard amino acids and many of their enantiomers were separated and detected with high separation efficiency and high sensitivity (nanomolar concentration detection limits) in one run. The solutions of 18-C-6-TCA also worked well as the CE/ESI-MS BGE for low-level detection of several neurotransmitters and some of their d/l enantiomers as well as for the analysis of amino acids at endogenous levels in lysed red blood cells.     

Contact conductivity detection in poly(methyl methacrylate)-based microfluidic devices for analysis of mono- and polyanionic molecules

An on-column contact conductivity detector was developed for the analysis of various mono- and polyanionic compounds separated by electrophoresis chips fabricated in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) using hot embossing techniques from Ni electroforms. The detector consisted of a pair of Pt wires (127 microm diameter) with an end-to-end spacing of approximately 20 microm and situated within the fluidic channel. The waveform applied to the electrode pair was a bipolar pulse with a frequency of 5.0 kHz and was used to reduce the charging current from measurement so that the current recorded at the end of one pulse is more representative of the solution conductivity. Using the detector, separations of amino acids, peptides, proteins, and oligonucleotides were demonstrated. For the amino acids and peptides, free-solution zone electrophoresis was performed. A calibration plot for the amino acid alanine was found to be linear from approximately 10 to 100 nM in a carrier electrolyte consisting of 10 mM triethylamonium acetate. The concentration detection limit was found to be 8.0 nM, with the corresponding mass detection limit equal to 3.4 amol (injection volume = 425 pL). The protein separations with conductivity detection were performed using MEKC, in which the carrier electrolyte contained the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) above its cmc. Near baseline resolution was achieved in the PMMA microchip for a solution containing 8 different proteins. In the case of the DNA fragments, capillary electrochromatography was used with a C18-modified PMMA chip and a carrier electrolyte containing an ion-pairing agent.     

DNA capillary electrophoresis in entangled dynamic polymers of surfactant molecules

Aqueous solutions of monomeric nonionic surfactants, n-alkyl polyoxyethylene ethers (C16E6, C16E8, C14E6), can be used as sieving matrixes for the separation of DNA fragments by capillary electrophoresis. Unlike ordinary polymer solutions, these surfactant solutions behave as dynamic polymers. By combining the "reversible gel" theory of DNA electrophoresis and the static and dynamic properties of wormlike surfactant micelles, a model is developed for describing the migration behavior of DNA molecules in these solutions. According to the model, the separation limit can be extended at low surfactant concentrations. Surfactant solutions as a separation medium provide many advantages over ordinary polymers, such as ease of preparation, solution homogeneity, stable structure, low viscosity, and self-coating property for reducing electroosmotic flow. More importantly, the properties of wormlike micelles (micelle size, entanglement concentration) can be adjusted by simply changing the monomer concentration, denaturant, and temperature to allow the separation of different size ranges of DNA fragments. Fast separation is achieved for DNA fragments ranging from 10 bp to 5 kb by using bare fused-silica columns. DNA sequencing fragments of BigDye G-labeled M13 up to 600 bases were separated within 60 min.     

Analysis of underivatized amino acids and their D/L-enantiomers by sheathless capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CE/ESI-MS) was applied to the analysis of underivatized amino acids and the separation of their D/L-enantiomers. Under full-scan mode, all standard protein amino acids were separated and detected at low-femtomole levels using a 130-cm-long, 20-microm-i.d., 150-microm-o.d. underivatized fused-silica capillary with 1 M formic acid as the background electrolyte. The CE/ESI-MS technique was also applied to the separation of L-arginine from L-canavanine (a close analogue of arginine where the terminal methylene linked to the guanidine group of arginine is replaced by an oxygen atom) in a complex mixture containing all standard protein amino acids. The utility of CE/ESI-MS in the analysis of real-world samples was demonstrated by the identification of two metabolic diseases (PKU and tyrosinemia) through blood analysis with minimal sample preparation. In addition, the on-line separation of 11 underivatized L-amino acids from their D-enantiomers was achieved by using a 30 mM solution of (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid as the background electrolyte.     

Ultrahigh-voltage capillary zone electrophoresis

An ultrahigh-voltage capillary electrophoresis system was built to demonstrate the possibility of extending the applied potential and thus the separation power of capillary electrophoresis. A commercial 30-kV power supply was extensively modified in order to provide electrical potentials up to 120 kV. A unique electrical shielding system was developed to prevent capillary breakdown and corona or spark discharges. Electrophoretic studies using a mixture of peptide standards, as well as a complex mixture of peptides obtained from a protein digest, showed that the numbers of theoretical plates achieved increase linearly with applied voltage. Theoretical plate counts ranging from 2.7 to 6.1 million plates were obtained for peptides in a separation done at 120 kV. Resolution also increased with the square root of applied voltage, as predicted by theory.     

Separation and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by solid phase microextraction/cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis

A sensitive method for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by solid phase microextraction coupled with cyclodextrin (CD)-modified capillary electrophoresis (CE) using UV detection has been developed. A glass fiber was prepared and used for absorbing 16 EPA priority PAHs from diluted samples until equilibrium was reached. After the glass fiber was connected to a separation capillary via an adapter, the absorbed analytes were directly released into the CE buffer stream, and electrophoretic separation was effected using a 50 mM borate, pH 9.2, buffer containing 35 mM sulfobutyloxy-β-CD, 10 mM methyl-β-CD, and 4 mM α-CD. Separation was effected since neutral PAHs differentially partitioned between the neutral and charged CD phases. Under 30 kV applied potential, separation was achieved in less than 15 min with high resolution and number of theoretical plates. Pyrene as low as 8 ppb was detected, while the highest limit of detection was 75 ppb for acenaphthene. Very satisfactory reproducibility with respect to migration time and peak area was obtained for repetitions using the same separation capillary and adapter, where only the extraction fiber was discarded after each analysis.     

Automated in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled with liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the determination of beta-blockers and metabolites in urine and serum samples.

The technique of automated in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) was evaluated for the determination of beta-blockers in urine and serum samples. In-tube SPME is an extraction technique for organic compounds in aqueous samples, in which analytes are extracted from the sample directly into an open tubular capillary by repeated draw/eject cycles of sample solution. LC/MS analyses of beta-blockers were initially performed by liquid injection onto a LC column. Nine beta-blockers tested in this study gave very simple ESI mass spectra, and strong signals corresponding to [M + H]+ were observed for all beta-blockers. The beta-blockers were separated with a Hypersil BDS C18 column using acetonitrile/methanol/water/acetic acid (15:15:70:1) as a mobile phase. To optimize the extraction of beta-blockers, several in-tube SPME parameters were examined. The optimum extraction conditions were 15 draw/eject cycles of 30 microL of sample in 100 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.5) at a flow rate of 100 microL/min using an Omegawax 250 capillary (Supelco, Bellefonte, PA). The beta-blockers extracted by the capillary were easily desorbed by mobile-phase flow, and carryover of beta-blockers was not observed. Using in-tube SPME/LC/ESI-MS with selected ion monitoring, the calibration curves of beta-blockers were linear in the range from 2 to 100 ng/mL with correlation coefficients above 0.9982 (n = 18) and detection limits (S/N = 3) of 0.1-1.2 ng/mL. This method was successfully applied to the analysis of biological samples without interference peaks. The recoveries of beta-blockers spiked into human urine and serum samples were above 84 and 71%, respectively. A serum sample from a patient administrated propranolol was analyzed using this method and both propranolol and its metabolites were detected.     

Complete enantiomeric separation of phenylthiocarbamoylated amino acids on a tandem column of reversed and chiral stationary phases

The enantiomeric separation of phenylthiocarbamoyl derivatives of amino acids (PTC-AAs) was studied on a series of reversed phase HPLC columns coupled to the chiral phase HPLC columns. First, the five chiral phases (native, 0.2, 3.3, 7.5 and 16.9 phenylcarbamoylated/β-cyclodextrins, Ph/CD) were newly prepared by modification of β-cyclodextrin with phenyl isocyanate and were examined for the enantiomeric separation of PTC-AAs. Among them, the 3.3Ph/CD phase gave the best enantiomeric separation (α ≥ 1.04). However, the separation of the individual PTC-AAs was not sufficient. Next, these separations were investigated on various reversed phase HPLC columns, and octyl silica was selected in terms of the suitability of the mobile phase adopted for the enantiomeric separation mentioned above. The effects of the column temperature, the ion-pairing reagent, and the final content of methanol were also studied on the tandem column of octyl silica and the 3.3Ph/CD phase. Under the best conditions (100 mM ammonium acetate (pH 6.5) containing 1 mM butanesulfonate with 0-40% methanol as the mobile phase), all the individual PTC-AAs were well separated within 150 min. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by the sequence/configuration analysis of a peptide containing a d-amino acid ([d-Thr(2)]leucine enkephalin-Thr).     

Determination of the Acidic Degradation Products, Acetic, Propionic, Butyric, and Phthalic Acid in Aqueous Pseudolatexes of Cellulosic Esters by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

An isocratic, reversed-phase HPLC method was developed to quantify the organic acids, acetic, propionic, butyric, and phthalic acid, formed as a result of ester hydrolysis, in pseudolatexes of cellulosic esters. Colloidal dispersions of cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, and cellulose acetate propionate were prepared by a microfluidization-solvent evaporation method. Dispersions of cellulose acetate phthalate were prepared by redispersion of a spraydried commercial pseudolatex. The acids were detected at 210 nm, the mobile phase being 0.025 M phosphate buffer: methanol (80:20 v/v%, pH 3.0). The peak height response was linear over the studied concentration range of 2 - 10 mM/L for the aliphatic acids and 20-100 μM/L for phthalic acid. The minimum detectable quantities for acetic, propionic, butyric, and phthalic acid were 0.02 mM/L, 0.05 mM/L, 0.1 mM/L, and 0.0005 mM/L, corresponding to a % change in acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, and phthalyl content of 4.0 × 10⁴, 1.2 × 10³, 2.9 × 10³, and 2.8 × 10^-5 for a 30% w/v pseudolatex. The colloidal polymer particles were separated by ultracentrifugation, filtration, or flocculation with aluminum chloride solution before analysis of the aqueous phase. Similar acid concentrations were obtained for the three separation methods. The recovery from spiked samples was almost complete for acetic, approximately 90% for propionic acid, and less than 80% for butyric acid.     

High-resolution computer simulations of stacking of weak bases using a transient pH boundary in capillary electrophoresis. 1. Concept and impact of sample ionic strength

The dynamics of focusing weak bases using a transient pH boundary was examined via high-resolution computer simulation software. Emphasis was placed on the mechanism and impact that the presence of salt, namely, NaCl, has on the ability to focus weak bases. A series of weak bases with mobilities ranging from 5 x 10(-9) to 30 x 10(-9) m2/V x s and pKa values between 3.0 and 7.5 were examined using a combination of 65.6 mM formic acid, pH 2.85, for the separation electrolyte, and 65.6 mM formic acid, pH 8.60, for the sample matrix. Simulation data show that it is possible to focus weak bases with a pKa value similar to that of the separation electrolyte, but it is restricted to weak bases having an electrophoretic mobility of 20 x 10(-9) m2/V x s or quicker. This mobility range can be extended by the addition of NaCl, with 50 mM NaCl allowing stacking of weak bases down to a mobility of 15 x 10(-9) m2/V x s and 100 mM extending the range to 10 x 10(-9) m2/V x s. The addition of NaCl does not adversely influence focusing of more mobile bases, but does prolong the existence of the transient pH boundary. This allows analytes to migrate extensively through the capillary as a single focused band around the transient pH boundary until the boundary is dissipated. This reduces the length of capillary that is available for separation and, in extreme cases, causes multiple analytes to be detected as a single highly efficient peak.     

气相色谱法同时测定食品中34种脂肪酸

本文建立了气相色谱法同时测定食品中34种脂肪酸的方法。食品中的脂肪酸经酸水解后,用石油醚-乙醚(1+1)提取脂肪,KOH/CH3OH皂化和甲酯化,生成脂肪酸甲酯,GC-FID检测。该方法回收率在91.28%～109.59%之间,相对标准偏差小于8.48%,34种脂肪酸的检出限在1.32mg/kg～3.36mg/kg之间,能满足实际检测工作的需要。本方法准确、灵敏,检测的脂肪酸种类多,具有实际推广价值。     

Cloud point extraction as a preconcentration step prior to capillary electrophoresis

Cloud point extraction was applied as a preconcentration step prior to capillary electrophoresis. The behavior of a surfactant-rich micellar phase injected into a capillary electrophoresis system was studied using different separation modes: micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). A problem that appeared on introducing a surfactant-rich phase into a bare fused silica capillary was that the surfactant was adsorbed onto the wall of the capillary, leading to a marked loss of efficiency and reproducibility both in the migration times and in the areas of the electrophoretic peaks. The use of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide dynamically coated capillaries afforded reproducible results, although the half-life of the capillary was short. The most satisfactory results were obtained by using nonaqueous media in the CZE mode, thus avoiding surfactant adsorption. Other parameters related to the composition of the injection medium were also studied to optimize the electrophoretic behavior of the analytes and the sensitivity of the determination. The optimized procedure was applied to the determination of triazines in tap and river water samples.     

Separation of tocopherol isomers using capillary electrochromatography: comparison of monomeric and polymeric C30 stationary phases.

The comparison of tocopherol isomer separation achieved using different stationary-phase alkyl chain lengths (i.e., C18 vs C30) and modes of alkyl phase attachment to the silica-based supports (i.e., polymeric vs monomeric synthesis) using capillary electrochromatography (CEC) has been demonstrated. The smaller alkyl chain does not exhibit the shape selectivity needed to resolve all of the tocopherol isomers. Conversely, both polymeric and monomeric C30 phases show increased tocopherol isomer selectivity. Changing the elutropic strength of the mobile phase had dramatic effects on the selectivity, with small additions of water to a methanol mobile phase yielding the best selectivity. The complete baseline separation of the tocopherol isomers was achieved using the monomerically bound C30 stationary phase and a methanol/ water mobile phase. The differences in stationary-phase selectivity were examined using a NIST standard reference material for determining column selectivity in LC. The results indicated that the monomeric C30 actually had "intermediate" phase characteristics (i.e., high phase loading, end capping, etc). This new CEC-based separation was also used to separate the tocopherols in a vitamin E supplement sample.     

Unlimited-volume electrokinetic stacking injection in sweeping capillary electrophoresis using a cationic surfactant

Sweeping is an effective and convenient way for online sample preconcentration in micellar electrokinetic chromatography. The usual procedure includes a hydrodynamic injection step carried out by applying pressure to the sample vial followed by the subsequent sweeping and separation processes. The injected sample volume is limited by the dimensions of the capillary because a part of the capillary has to be left free of sample solution for the subsequent sweeping and separation steps. In addition, when a short capillary, such as 4-10 cm, is used for sweeping, the injected sample volume is small even if the entire capillary is filled with sample solution. To solve this problem, an electrokinetic stacking injection (EKSI) scheme was developed by using a cationic surfactant, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide, for sweeping in capillary electrophoresis. An experimental model was proposed, and the entire process was theoretically analyzed. According to the theoretical discussion, the optimal conditions for two model analytes, 5-carboxyfluorescein (5-FAM) and sodium fluorescein (FL), were experimentally determined. The injected sample plug lengths for 5-FAM and FL under 20.1 kV for 60 min were experimentally estimated as 836 and 729 cm, corresponding to 28- and 24-fold the effective capillary length, respectively. The EKSI scheme resulted in increased detection factors for 5-FAM and FL of 4.5 x 10(3) and 4.0 x 10(3) using 60-min injection relative to a traditional pressure injection.     

Separation of tissue proteins of human lung carcinomas by partial-filling capillary electrophoresis

Tissue proteins from human squamous cell lung carcinomas (SQCLC) and small cell lung carcinomas (SCLC) were separated in 0.01% hydroxypylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) linear polymer sieving solutions in the inlet portion of the capillary and next to the outlet of the capillary, followed by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in 40 mM phosphate buffer, pH 2.5. A proper HPMC concentration could cause a molecular sieving effect through the formation of an entangled polymer network. The migration time of the analyte in this matrix depended on the size and electrophoretic mobility of the analyte, the mesh size, and the electric field strength. In the CZE separation, the electroosmotic flow and the charge-to-size ratio of the analyte were important parameters. HPMC concentration and zone length were examined to optimize the separation. Applying this partial-filling technique to the separation of water-soluble proteins from human lung tissues, we found a greatly improved resolution and increased peak intensity. The capillary electrophoresis patterns of normal, SQCLC, and SCLC were obtained and compared for their molecular classifications.