The isolation of basic proteins by solid-phase extraction with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been employed for the first time as sorbents for the isolation of basic proteins from other protein species in biological sample matrices by solid-phase extraction (SPE). A microcolumn packed with MWCNTs was incorporated after appropriate pretreatment into a sequential injection system, which facilitates online selective sorption of basic protein species (hemoglobin and cytochrome c in this particular case). The retained protein species were afterwards separated from each other by sequential elution from the microcolumn through the employment of appropriate eluents. A 0.025 mol L(-1) phosphate buffer solution of pH 8.0 facilitated the efficient collection of hemoglobin, while a 0.5 mol L(-1) NaCl solution ensured the quantitative recovery of the retained cytochrome c. With a sample loading volume of 2.0 mL, enrichment factors of 11 and 15 were derived for hemoglobin and cytochrome c, along with retention efficiencies of 100% for both species and recovery rates of 98 and 90%, respectively. A sampling frequency of 8 h(-1) was achieved, and the precisions were 3.0% and 0.8% (RSD) for hemoglobin and cytochrome c at a concentration of 5.0 microg mL(-1). The practical applicability of this system was demonstrated by processing of human whole blood for isolation of hemoglobin, and satisfactory results were obtained by assay with SDS-PAGE.