Detection of glutathione within single mice hepatocytes using microfluidic chips coupled with a laser-induced fluorescence system

• We established a rapid and accurate detection of GSH content in single cells.
• The derivatization of channel-surface proved to be necessary.
• Optimized voltage proved to be essential to the injection and separation of samples.
• The method is low-cost, time-saving, and eco-friendly.

A rapid and accurate detection of glutathione (GSH) content in single cells is important to the early diagnosis and prevention of diseases. A microfluidic system allows the manipulation of trace amounts of reagents and single cells in a simple and cheap glass chip coupled with laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. 2,3-Naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde (NDA) was used as the derivatization reagent to label GSH in cells. Microchannel surface derivatization and optimization of injection and separation were investigated in detail, and then the GSH in single mice hepatocyte was separated and detected under optimum conditions with a linear range of 5 × 10−4 M ∼ 5 × 10−3 M and a detection limit of 4.47 × 10−5 M. This study provides a simple and effective method for rapid GSH detection in single cells using few reagents.

The MCE-LIF system is composed of an intelligent electric driving instrument (IEED), a home-made cross microfluidic chip, a LIF detector (excitation wavelength/emission wavelengths: 473 nm/525 nm) and a data acquisition card. Based on the fluorescence quenching of fluorescinisothiocyate (FITC) by GSH, the internal pipeline of the microfluidic chips, the injection and separation condition were modified and optimized. Our study provided a basic and efficient method and technical support for the detection of GSH content in single hepatocytes.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide