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Characterization of curcumin nanocrystals in capillary electrophoresis
Dvořáková, Amálie ; Křížek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Sobotníková, Jana (referee)
This Bachelor thesis deals with the characterization of curcumin nanocrystals using capillary electrophoresis with UV-VIS and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic substance with many biological effects. Its low solubility is one of the main reasons for its low bioavailability, however, it can be increased by preparing curcumin nanocrystals. In the experimental part, the effects of the composition of the background electrolyte (BGE) and the applied voltage on the curcumin nanocrystals were investigated. Background electrolytes were prepared using phosphoric acid, or HEPES and their pH was adjusted to 7.0 by NaOH, or TRIS, to test whether the shape of the peak is influenced by the ionic strength of BGE and not by the increasing concentration of a particular BGE component. Initial experiments did not involve voltage application, but only a pressure of 50 mbar. In following experiments both positive and negative voltages were applied, using a 10mM phosphate buffer, the pH of which was adjusted using TRIS. Most of the experiments were conducted using a 100nm curcumin nanocrystals sample. Curcumin nanocrystals provided an abnormally wide peak in both UV-VIS and LIF detection. It was found that the dispersion of the nanocrystal zone was not caused by diffusion,...
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