Exhaled breath condensate is a novel biological sample with potential to become one of the simplest diagnostic fluids.  It is particularly appealing because of its complete non-invasiveness, easy and inexpensive collection and very simple matrix composition. EBC holds a promise to become one of the samples that could be used for diagnostics and management of various respiratory tract diseases in the future. It is also attractive from a point of view of, point-of-care analysis and personalized diagnostics and therapy management.   

In this contribution, we show capillary electrophoresis as a powerful tool for analysis of ionic content of EBC. A simple device for collection of small volumes (100-200 µL) of exhaled breath condensate in very short time (<1 min) was first developed and compared with various in-house constructed a commercial devices for EBC collection. We demonstrated that the newly developed device dimensions and performance allows its direct coupling to a CE separation system. Additionally, minimal sample requirements of CE make possible monitoring of a single breath and the concentration changes when changing breathing patterns. These findings may contribute to the better understanding of the underlying principles of EBC formation. A CE with C4D for quick (less than 3 min) simultaneous screening of inorganic cations, inorganic anions and organic anions from EBC samples using dual-opposite end injection principle shows that changes of several ions could be observed in acute inflammation of upper airways and in person with diagnosed mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A potential of the EBC-CE device for clinical diagnosis is discussed.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge financial support from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (Grant No. P206/13/21919S). Part of the work was realized in CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology with research infrastructure supported by the project CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0068 financed from European Regional Development Fund.