Influence of grafting conditions on the properties of polyacrylamide-based cation-exchange cryogels grafted with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid

Evaluation of steric exclusion chromatography on cryogel column for the separation of serum proteins

Steric exclusion chromatography (SXC) is a new mode of protein chromatography, in which large proteins are retained on hydrophilic stationary phase surface due to the steric exclusion of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the mobile phase, and thereafter the retained proteins can be eluted by reducing PEG concentration. In this work, SXC was evaluated on a polyacrylamide cryogel monolith. Microscopic observation of γ-globulin precipitates on the gel surface in SXC was reported for the first time. Due to the compact packing of protein precipitates on the stationary phase surface, the dynamic retention capacity of the cryogel monolith for γ-globulin reached 20 mg/mL bed volume, much higher than those of cryogel beds in adsorption-based chromatography. The effect of molecular weight and concentration of PEG, solution pH and salt concentration on protein retention capacity was in agreement with the earlier work on SXC. Because the cryogel monoliths with interconnected macropores (10-100 μm) allow much easy flow-through of viscous PEG buffer, the SXC can be operated at low back pressure. Hence, the cryogel monoliths are more suitable for SXC than other monoliths of narrow pores reported previously. In the separation of bovine serum proteins, albumin was recovered in the breakthrough fraction with high purity, and globulin was over eight times concentrated in the elution pool. This work has, thus, demonstrated the rapid serum protein separation and concentration by SXC on the cryogel monolith columns.

Monolithic phases for ion chromatography

Monolithic media are continuing to increase in popularity in chromatographic applications, and the ongoing use of commercially available materials in ion chromatography (IC) has made monoliths a viable alternative to packed-bed columns for routine use. We discuss different strategies for the synthesis of polymeric and silica monoliths with ion-exchange functionality, such as direct incorporation of ion-exchange functionality during monolith preparation and different postpolymerization alterations such as grafting and coating. The formulations and strategies presented are focused on materials intended for use in IC. We also discuss strategies for materials characterization, with emphasis on nondestructive techniques for the characterization of monolith surface functionality, especially those with applicability to in situ analysis. Finally, we describe selected IC applications of polymeric and silica monoliths published from 2008 to 2010.

Isolation of ATP from a yeast fermentation broth using a cryogel column at high flow velocities

This communication presents an effective method for isolating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from a yeast fermentation broth using an anion-exchange supermacroporous cryogel column at high flow velocities. The breakthrough and elution behaviors of pure ATP in the cryogel bed were investigated at flow velocities of 2, 5, and 10 cm/min and the ATP binding capacities were determined. Then the ATP-containing yeast fermentation broth was employed as the test feedstock and various chromatographic runs were conducted to isolate ATP by the cryogel at different high flow velocities. The ATP samples obtained were analyzed quantitatively by HPLC. The results showed that even at a flow velocity of 5 or 10 cm/min, a product purity of 97.4 or 98.0% can be achieved, illustrating the potential of the present method for separation of high-purity ATP directly from fermentation feedstock at high flow velocities.