Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026
08:41
Integration of Miniaturized Solid Phase Extraction and LC-MS/MS Detection of 3-Nitrotyrosine in Human Urine for Clinical Applications
Published on: July 14, 2017
10.0K
Solid-phase extraction of phospholipids using mesoporous silica nanoparticles: application to human milk samples
Héctor Martínez Pérez-Cejuela1, Isabel Ten-Doménech1, Jamal El Haskouri2
1Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Valencia, Dr Moliner 50, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
|May 12, 2018
Summary
Mesoporous silica materials (MSMs) show promise as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents for isolating phospholipids (PLs). This study demonstrates their effectiveness in complex samples like human milk fat.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Phospholipids (PLs) are crucial in biological systems, but their analysis in complex matrices is challenging.
- Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is a common technique for sample preparation, requiring efficient sorbent materials.
- Mesoporous silica materials (MSMs) offer tunable pore structures and high surface areas, making them potential candidates for SPE.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate mesoporous silica materials (MSMs), including UVM-7 and MCM-41, as SPE sorbents for phospholipid (PL) isolation.
- To investigate the interaction mechanism between MSMs and phospholipids.
- To optimize SPE parameters and apply the method to a real-world complex matrix (human milk fat).
Main Methods:
- Characterization of MSMs using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), surface area, and pore size measurements.
- Solid-phase extraction (SPE) experiments to determine optimal loading/elution solvents, breakthrough volume, loading capacity, and reusability.
- Application of the optimized SPE protocol for PL extraction from human milk fat.
- Analysis of extracted PLs using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD).
Main Results:
- Mesoporous silica materials (MSMs) demonstrated effective isolation of phospholipids (PLs).
- The study characterized the MSMs' morphology and elucidated the interaction mechanism with PLs.
- Optimized SPE parameters led to successful PL preconcentration from human milk fat samples.
- The developed method using MSMs for PL extraction in complex matrices is reported for the first time.
Conclusions:
- Silica-based mesoporous materials (MSMs) are effective SPE sorbents for phospholipid (PL) isolation.
- The optimized SPE protocol using MSMs is suitable for analyzing PLs in complex biological samples like human milk fat.
- This research presents a novel application of MSMs for preconcentrating PLs, advancing analytical methodologies.
Related Concept Videos
02:22Structures of Solids
18.0K
Solids in which the atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite repeating pattern are known as crystalline solids. Metals and ionic compounds typically form ordered, crystalline solids. A crystalline solid has a precise melting temperature because each atom or molecule of the same type is held in place with the same forces or energy. Amorphous solids or non-crystalline solids (or, sometimes, glasses) which lack an ordered internal structure and are randomly arranged. Substances that...
18.0K
02:39Phase Diagrams
50.4K
A phase diagram combines plots of pressure versus temperature for the liquid-gas, solid-liquid, and solid-gas phase-transition equilibria of a substance. These diagrams indicate the physical states that exist under specific conditions of pressure and temperature and also provide the pressure dependence of the phase-transition temperatures (melting points, sublimation points, boiling points). Regions or areas labeled solid, liquid, and gas represent single phases, while lines or curves represent...
50.4K
02:37Metallic Solids
20.9K
Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
20.9K
02:31Phase Transitions
23.3K
Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...
23.3K
02:18Network Covalent Solids
16.2K
Network covalent solids contain a three-dimensional network of covalently bonded atoms as found in the crystal structures of nonmetals like diamond, graphite, silicon, and some covalent compounds, such as silicon dioxide (sand) and silicon carbide (carborundum, the abrasive on sandpaper). Many minerals have networks of covalent bonds.
To break or to melt a covalent network solid, covalent bonds must be broken. Because covalent bonds are relatively strong, covalent network solids are typically...
To break or to melt a covalent network solid, covalent bonds must be broken. Because covalent bonds are relatively strong, covalent network solids are typically...
16.2K
02:33Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
20.3K
Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...
20.3K