Evaluation of sample application techniques, stationary and mobile phases, and detection reagents for HPTLC — Densitometry analysis of glucose in fecal samples of mice infected with Echinostoma caproni (Trematoda)

Seven different thin-layer chromatography stationary phases, one additional stationary layer pretreatment, eight mobile phases, two spotting techniques, and three detection reagents were evaluated for the determination of glucose in mouse fecal samples. Quantitative analysis was performed by slit-scanning densitometry. The optimal system was found to be Merck silica gel HPTLC plates with a concentrating zone developed with 1-butanol-glacial acetic acid-diethyl ether-deionized water 27:18:5:3. α-Naphthol-sulphuric acid detection reagent was found to give the best quantitative results, while the naphthoresorcinol reagent was the most useful for qualitative analysis. Semiautomatic application of samples with a CAMAG Linomat was found to give more compact bands and better separations than manual application. Using this system, quantification of glucose was achieved in mouse fecal samples. The amounts of glucose in the fecal samples of BALB/c mice infected with the intestinal trematode E. caproni were compared to control samples of uninfected mice. On the third and tenth days of postinfection, it was determined that the amount of glucose in the infected fecal samples was significantly greater than in the control samples. This indicates that metabolic profiling of glucose using TLC is possible in the mouse model and that TLC may potentially be used to test for the presence of E. caproni in humans.