A Brief Review on the Analysis of dsDNA, RNA, Amino Acids and Bacteria by Capillary Electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an effective tool for the analysis of many biocomponents, such as dsDNA, RNA, amino acids and bacteria, which are extremely important not only in research work but also in numerous practical applications. However, there are many factors that affect the separation performance, including the polymers inside the capillary, the electric field strength, the capillary coating and the effective length of the capillary. So far, various CE techniques have been developed to increase the resolution, sample volume consumption and limit of detection. To better understand the development of techniques for the separation of these biomolecules by CE, this review provides a comprehensive summary of polymers (e.g., polyvinylpyrrolidone, hydroxyethyl cellulose and polyethylene glycol), optimization methods, capillary coating methods, technological advancement of microchips for CE and the limitation of detection proposed by different groups worldwide. We also discuss the challenges and future directions associated with CE technology.