High-throughput multi-analyte screening for renal disease using capillary electrophoresis

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Clinical Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• End-stage renal disease (ESRD) impacts 300,000 individuals annually in the US, with a high mortality rate within the first year post-diagnosis.
• Current renal function assessments often utilize slow, non-specific colorimetric methods focusing on single markers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a rapid, multi-analyte assay for assessing renal function using capillary zone electrophoresis.
• To simultaneously measure key urinary markers indicative of kidney health.

Main Methods:

• Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was employed for the simultaneous analysis of creatinine (Cr), creatine (Cn), uric acid (UA), and p-aminohippuric acid (PAH) in urine.
• Assay performance was characterized by determining limits of detection (LOD) and linear ranges for each analyte.

Main Results:

• The CZE method achieved sensitive LODs: 5 µM for Cr, 0.75 µM for Cn, and 1.5 µM for UA and PAH.
• Linear ranges were established as 5-500 µM (Cr), 0.75-500 µM (Cn), and 1.5-250 µM (UA, PAH), encompassing expected human urine concentrations after dilution.
• The assay demonstrated simplicity, speed, and high throughput for multiple renal function indicators.

Conclusions:

• Capillary zone electrophoresis provides a robust platform for high-throughput urine analysis of multiple renal function markers.
• This multi-analyte approach offers a significant advancement over traditional single-marker, colorimetric methods for renal health screening.