SCREENING NATURAL SAMPLES FOR NEW THERAPEUTIC COMPOUNDS USING CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

摘要

A method in which natural sample components are simultaneously fractionatedand screened for compounds that bind tightly to specificmolecules of interest is disclosed. Such newly isolated ligands are goodcandidates for potential therapeutic or diagnostic compounds. Thenatural sample is first combined with a potential target molecule and thensubjected to capillary eiectrophoresis (CE). Charged (or evenneutral) compounds present in the natural sample that bind to the added targetmolecule can alter its normal migration time upon CE, bychanging its charge-to-mass ratio, or will cause a variation in peak shape orarea. Complex formation can lie detected by simply monitoringthe migration of the target molecule during electrophoresis. Any new ligandsthat bind to the target molecule wilt be good candidates fortherapeutic or diagnostic compounds. Interfering, weak-binding ligandscommonly present in crude extracts are not detected. Small, neutralligands, as well as charged ligands, can be identified in competitive bindingexperiments with known, charged competitor molecules.