Comparative studies on the analysis of glycoproteins and lipopolysaccharides by the gel-based microchip and SDS-PAGE.

In order to determine time efficiency between the gel-based microchip (LabChip) and traditional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), glycoproteins and lipopolysaccharides were analyzed in this study. After 90 min of gel electrophoresis, glycoproteins (bovine serum albumin, lysozyme, ovalbumin, and apo-transferrin) and fluorescent lipopolysaccharides (LPS-O and LPS-S) under reducing conditions could be analyzed by SDS-PAGE, and it would take (including imaging and analyzing) more than 3 h. The same sample could also be assayed on a Bioanalyzer in combination with the LabChip, and it would only need 30 min from start to finish. The assay software automatically calculated the size and concentration of each separated peak and displayed the results in real time, thus eliminating time-consuming procedures such as imaging and analyzing. Compared to the traditional reducing SDS-PAGE, LabChip has a faster turnaround time.