Prediction of band profiles in displacement chromatography by numerical integration of a semi-ideal model

System peaks and their positive and negative aspects in chromatographic techniques

Whenever a mobile phase contains more than one component, additional signals commonly called system peaks can appear. The origin of these signals is explained through loss of equilibrium in the separation column caused by injection of analyte dissolved in a different solvent than the mobile phase. The system peaks are then generated by a relaxation process started by the non-equilibrium state. An overview of the theory and applications of the system peaks in separation methods, mainly in liquid chromatography, is presented in this paper. Only a brief theoretical discussion of the system peak origin is given as the theoretical aspects of system peak formation have already been published in many papers. The main focus of this review is to summarize applications, in which system peaks were used to measure physical or physicochemical data. Signals of system peaks are often misinterpreted but they offer valuable information about thermodynamics and kinetics of the separation process that takes place in chromatographic column.

Displacement chromatography of isomers and therapeutic compounds

Displacement chromatography was successfully used to separate a binary isomer mixture, epirubicin and doxorubicin, on Kromasil KR100-10 C18 250x4.6 mm I.D. (10 microm) column. Displacement parameters such as the types and the concentrations of displacer, the composition and the flow rate of the mobile phase were critically examined in this study. The displacer employed was 30 mg/ml benzethonium chloride. Loading of feed at lower initial organic level of mobile phase coupled with displacement at higher organic level was found to give efficient separation. A 30-mg amount of binary isomer mixture was separated on an analytical column. The purification of epirubicin from the closely related impurities present in raw product solution by displacement chromatography was also investigated. The purity of epirubicin required was greater than 99% with a recovery of 60%. The results have indicated that this process made good use of the high feed load, low solvent costs, and high resolution characteristics of displacement chromatography and offered the chromatographic engineer a powerful tool for the preparative purification of therapeutic compounds.

Phytic acid as an efficient low-molecular-mass displacer for anion-exchange displacement chromatography of proteins

Phytic acid, inositol-hexaphosphoric acid, molecular mass 650, a low-molecular-mass compound, has been identified as a nearly ideal displacer in anion-exchange displacement chromatography for the concentration and purification of model protein mixture. The concentration of low-molecular-mass displacer is a very important parameter for successful separation by displacement chromatography. Displacer concentration influences the formation of the isotachic train and the yield and recovery of the displacement chromatographic process. There is an optimum displacer concentration in which the yield and recovery are highest.

Displacement chromatography with on-column isomerization

Displacement chromatography was simulated for the separation of two feed components interconverting by a reversible first order reaction and with Langmuirian adsorption behavior. The study was prompted by recent interest in the isolation of cis and trans forms of peptides containing one or more peptidyl-proline residues when the isomerization reaction interferes with the separation. The parameter values used in the simulations are similar to those found experimentally by reversed-phase chromatography and capillary electrophoresis of phenylalanine-proline dipeptide. From the concentration profiles computed by the finite difference scheme, the dependence of both the yield and production rate on the temperature, column length, flow velocity and displacer concentration was evaluated. The most important operational variable of the system is the temperature as it affects both the kinetic and adsorption parameters. The yield and production rate of the component of interest were evaluated as a function of the column length and displacer concentration under conditions that facilitate its efficient separation and the plots show an optimum. Nonetheless, optimal conditions for yield and production rate were considerably different. In the temperature range from 2 to 42 degrees C, the yield always decreases with increasing temperatures and for all the cases, optimum yield by displacement mandates the use of conditions such as pH, solvent and temperature under which the rate of interconversion is reduced to a level where it does not palpably interfere with the separation. On the other hand, under certain conditions optimal production rate can be obtained at higher temperatures.

Chromatography in the downstream processing of biotechnological products

Chromatography techniques are essential for the isolation and purification of most of the high value products of modern biotechnology. The economically sensible and technically satisfactory downstream processing of a therapeutic protein, usually involves a number of chromatographic steps. Its development and optimization require considerable knowledge of the various physico-chemical and engineering aspects of biochemical chromatography. This review addresses the various modes of chromatography and the design of chromatographic separation processes from a biotechnologist's point of view. Strategies for optimizing the structure of the downstream process are outlined and scaling up consideration are discussed. The importance of the different chromatographic methods in research and development is estimated in an analysis of protein purification schemes recently published in the literature. Finally, examples of the application of chromatographic procedures for process scale product purification in the biotechnological industry are given.

Characterization of a tryptic digest by high-performance displacement chromatography and mass spectrometry

High-performance displacement chromatography (HPDC) provides a means of increasing the capacity of a chromatographic column, while maintaining the resolution afforded by high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) instruments. The high capacity and high resolution of HPDC can be exploited in tryptic mapping to facilitate the characterization of a protein preparation. In this manner, minor constituents of the mixture, which may be difficult to isolate by conventional chromatographic methods, can be obtained in sufficient amounts to permit chemical characterization by established techniques. The isolation by HPDC of peptides obtained by digestion of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) and the subsequent characterization of the peptides are described. The identification of certain of these peptides revealed information on the specificity of trypsin for the substrate, rhGH, and for autolysis. Fractions from the HPDC tryptic map were collected and analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) either directly or following further separation by gradient elution HPLC. Fragment ions observed in the ESI mass spectra facilitated identification of peptides obtained by HPDC tryptic mapping.

Applications of preparative high-performance liquid chromatography to the separation and purification of peptides and proteins

The basic differences between the problems encountered in the development of the analytical and preparative applications of high-performance liquid chromatography are analyzed and the principles of optimization of a preparative separation outlined. The application of these principles to the purification of peptides and proteins are discussed with emphasis on the specific problems raised by the separation of high-molecular-mass compounds. The relative advantages and inconveniences of displacement and overloaded elution are presented. The applications of the various retention modes of liquid chromatography (ion exchange, reversed-phase adsorption, hydrophobic interactions, size exclusion and bioaffinity) to the separation of various peptide and protein mixtures and/or to the extraction and purification of some of these compounds are reviewed. Separation performance reported in the literature are summarized in table form.