Ionic-liquid-based approaches to improve biopharmaceuticals downstream processing and formulation

The emergence of biopharmaceuticals, including proteins, nucleic acids, peptides, and vaccines, revolutionized the medical field, contributing to significant advances in the prophylaxis and treatment of chronic and life-threatening diseases. However, biopharmaceuticals manufacturing involves a set of complex upstream and downstream processes, which considerably impact their cost. In particular, despite the efforts made in the last decades to improve the existing technologies, downstream processing still accounts for more than 80% of the total biopharmaceutical production cost. On the other hand, the formulation of biological products must ensure they maintain their therapeutic performance and long-term stability, while preserving their physical and chemical structure. Ionic-liquid (IL)-based approaches arose as a promise alternative, showing the potential to be used in downstream processing to provide increased purity and recovery yield, as well as excipients for the development of stable biopharmaceutical formulations. This manuscript reviews the most important progress achieved in both fields. The work developed is critically discussed and complemented with a SWOT analysis.

Advances Achieved by Ionic-Liquid-Based Materials as Alternative Supports and Purification Platforms for Proteins and Enzymes

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been applied in several fields in which enzymes and proteins play a noteworthy role, for instance in biorefinery, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical sciences, among others. Despite their use as solvents and co-solvents, their combination with materials for protein- and enzyme-based applications has raised significant attention in the past few years. Among them, significant advances were brought by supported ionic liquids (SILs), in which ILs are introduced to modify the surface and properties of materials, e.g., as ligands when covalently bond or when physiosorbed. SILs have been mainly investigated as alternative supports for enzymes in biocatalysis and as new supports in preparative liquid chromatography for the purification of high-value proteins and enzymes. In this manuscript, we provide an overview on the most relevant advances by using SILs as supports for enzymes and as purification platforms for a variety of proteins and enzymes. The interaction mechanisms occurring between proteins and SILs/ILs are highlighted, allowing the design of efficient processes involving SILs. The work developed is discussed in light of the respective development phase and innovation level of the applied technologies. Advantages and disadvantages are identified, as well as the missing links to pave their use in relevant applications.

Cross-linked, porous imidazolium-based poly(ionic liquid)s for CO2 capture and utilisation

A series of micro/meso porous imidazolium poly(ionic liquid)s for CO2 capture and utilization is reported. They show moderate sorption capacity under RTP conditions, and good catalytic activity towards the cycloaddition of CO2 and epoxides to synthesize cyclic carbonates.

Recent advances in green reagents for molecularly imprinted polymers

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made materials with special binding sites.

Polyimidazolium Salts: Robust Catalysts for the Cycloaddition of Carbon Dioxide into Carbonates in Solvent-Free Conditions

There is a growing interest in sustainable heterogeneous catalysts based on organic polymers. Here, we describe a series of polyimidazolium salt catalysts, prepared from the direct reaction of arene-bridged bis- and tris-alkyl halides with trimethylsilylimidazole. The polyimidazolium salts were characterized by spectroscopic and analytical techniques and it was found that their morphology and porosity could be controlled by adjusting the steric parameters of the spacer in the alkyl-halide starting materials. Moreover, the polymers are excellent heterogeneous organocatalysts for the cycloaddition of CO₂ to epoxides to afford cyclic carbonates at atmospheric pressure under solvent-free conditions. The polymer catalysts exhibit long-term stability and may be recycled and reused at least 10 times.

Preparation of novel anionic polymeric ionic liquid materials and their potential application to protein adsorption

A series of novel anionic polymeric ionic liquid materials were prepared and used to adsorb bovine hemoglobin from bovine blood.

Preparation and characterization of biocompatible molecularly imprinted poly(ionic liquid) films on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

A series of novel biocompatible MIPs were synthesized for BSA recognition by using MWCNTs with different outside diameters as substrates, and allyl-functionalized ionic liquids with different anion species as monomers.

Acidic ionic liquid modified silica gel for adsorption and separation of bovine serum albumin (BSA)

In this work, silica gel (SiO₂) was modified with an acidic ionic liquid (Im⁺·HSO₄⁻) and the product was characterized using infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and elemental measurement.

A Novel Poly(ionic liquid) Interface-Free Two-Dimensional Monolithic Material for the Separation of Multiple Types of Glycoproteins

Currently, many types of affinity materials have been developed for the enrichment of glycoproteins potentially considered to be clinical biomarkers; however, they can not effectively distinguish between different glycoproteins and thus lack the functionality that may be the key to the diagnosis of specific diseases. In the present work, a novel interface-free 2D monolithic material has been developed for the separation of multiple types of glycoproteins, in which boronate-functionalized graphene acts as preconcentration segment and poly(guanidinium ionic liquid) acts as separation segment. The resultant 2D material was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and electroosmotic flow analysis to demonstrate successful modification at each step. The performance of this 2D material was evaluated by capillary electrochromatography and allowed the successful online concentration and separation of five standard glycoproteins. The high separation efficiency can be largely attributed to the good orthogonality of boronate-functionalized graphene monolith and poly(guanidinium ionic liquid) monolith.

Quaternized polysulfone and graphene oxide nanosheet derived low fouling novel positively charged hybrid ultrafiltration membranes for protein separation

Low fouling positively charged hybrid UF membranes with adjustable charge density fabricated from a blend of PSf/QPSf and GO nanosheets by solution casting and NIPS method. Cross-section SEM image and observed lysozyme transport values at varied pH.

Facile preparation of organic-inorganic hybrid polymeric ionic liquid monolithic column with a one-pot process for protein separation in capillary electrochromatography

An organic-inorganic hybrid monolithic column based on 1-vinyl-3-dodecylimidazolium bromide (VC12Im(+)Br(-)) has been prepared in a single step by combining radical copolymerization with a non-hydrolytic sol-gel (NHSG) process. The NHSG process was significantly shortened to 6 h by using formic acid as catalyst. For comparison, we also prepared polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) monolithic columns by hydrolytic sol-gel and organic polymeric process, respectively. The resulting monolithic columns were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller. Under the capillary electrochromatography mode, these columns were applied to separate alkylbenzenes, anilines, and proteins, respectively. The results indicated that the NHSG-based hybrid PIL monolithic column exhibited the highest column efficiency among the three types of columns; organic solvent, commonly required by the traditional columns to achieve satisfactory separation efficiency for proteins, was absent in the NHSG-based hybrid PIL monolithic column because of the biocompatibility of the VC12Im(+)Br(-), which was beneficial to analysis of protein containing samples. In order to demonstrate its application potential, the developed NHSG-based hybrid PIL monolithic column was also employed to separate egg white sample.

An AIL/IL-based liquid/liquid extraction system for the purification of His-tagged proteins

A sorbent based on affinity ionic liquid (AIL), triazacyclononane-ionic liquid, was synthesized, characterized, and applied to the extraction of histidine (His)-tagged proteins from aqueous buffer to ionic liquid (IL) phase. The adsorbed His-tagged proteins could be back-extracted from the IL phase to the aqueous buffer with an imidazole solution. The specific binding of His-tagged proteins with AIL/IL could be affected by a few factors including the ionic strength and coordinated metal ions. In the case of His-tagged enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), the maximum binding capacity of Cu(2+)-AIL/IL reached 2.58 μg/μmol under the optimized adsorption conditions. The eluted His-tagged EGFP kept fluorescent and remained active through the purification process. Moreover, a tandem extraction process successively using Cu(2+)-AIL/IL and Zn(2+)-AIL/IL systems was developed, which was proven very efficient to obtain the ultimate protein with a purity of about 90 %. An effective reclamation method for the AIL/IL extraction system was further established. The sorbent could be easily regenerated by removing metal ions with EDTA and the followed reimmobilization of metal ions. Easy handling of the presented M(2+)-AIL/IL system and highly specific ability to absorb His-tagged proteins make it attractive and potentially applicable in biomolecular separation.