HPLC: Techniques Used For the Diagnostic of Ancient Tuberculosis Remains

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HPLC (High-performance liquid chromatography)
HPLC is a powerful chromatography technique able to separate similar substances from a mixture in a short period of time. The method require a mobile phase (liquid) and a stationary phase (liquid/solid). The stationary is phase usualy indicated by the column used, while the eluent is the mobile phase. Both phases are selected in order to best suit the sample and the purpose of the separation. The resolution and the order of the elution depends on the stationary and mobile phase selected. Substances that have a higher affinity for the mobile phase will emerge first, while others, with an affinity for the stationary phase will remain in the column longer (Meyer, 2010).
In order to force the mobile phase into the column filled with very small small particles, a high constant preassure is necessary to be applied. The basic principle is that under the same conditions, the time between the injection of the component and its elution remains constant. The output is a chart presenting the time-depending changes in the signal intensities as a consequence of substance separation. The technique can be used in qualitative and quantitative approaches, as the height and the area of each peak is proportional with the concentration of the corresponding substance (Meyer, 2010).
Mycolic acids can be recognized based on their chain length (C70 - C90), the presence of double bonds, their long side chain, their additional oxygen or methyl functions. The three main classes of mycolates from mycobacteria can be separated using „normal phase” HPLC, but characteristic peaks for MTBC can not be identified. However, „reserse phase” HPLC (rpHPLC), can separate mycolic acids according to their chain length and t...

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