Separation of water-soluble polymers using capillary-channeled polymer fiber stationary phases

Chromatographic separations of synthetic and natural polymers are usually affected by a size exclusion chromatography (SEC) mechanism. Although SEC is a proven method of separation based on hydrodynamic size, a chromatographic method based solely on chemical interactions would present certain advantages. This laboratory has been investigating the use of capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers as stationary phases in HPLC for the separation of biomacromolecules. C-CP fibers allow highly efficient fluid transport and an amorphous surface structure, minimizing mass transfer effects commonly associated with porous, packed-bed technologies. Choice of the base fiber identity allows flexibility in the potential types of solute-surface interactions. Two water-soluble polymers, glycolic acid ethoxylate 4-nonylphenyl ether, and poly(4-vinylpyridine hydrochloride), were used as test solutes because of their similarities to polymers of interest in the consumer products industry. SEC separation of this pair was not possible due to the similarities in hydrodynamic size. Poly(ethylene terephthalate), polyester and nylon-6 C-CP fibers were evaluated as stationary phase materials. The former was found to offer superior chromatographic separations and recoveries when operating under what would be considered to be typical RP separation conditions: a flow rate of 1?mL/min and gradient of 0-100% H(2)O/ACN with 0.06% TFA over 5?min.     

Microbore polypropylene capillary channeled polymer (C-CP) fiber columns for rapid reversed-phase HPLC of proteins

The performance of microbore columns with polypropylene (PP) capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers as the support/stationary phase for separation of macromolecules has been investigated. Polypropylene C-CP fibers (40 μm diameter) were packed in fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) tubing of inner diameter 0.8 mm and lengths of 40, 60, 80, and 110 cm. The performance of PP fiber packed microbore columns (peak width, peak capacity, and resolution) was evaluated for separation of a three-protein mixture of ribonuclease A, cytochrome c, and transferrin under reversed-phase gradient conditions. The low backpressure characteristics of C-CP fiber columns enable operation at high linear velocities (up to 75 mm s(-1) at 1.5 mL min(-1)). In contrast with the performance of other phases, such velocities enable enhanced resolution of the three-protein mixture, because peak widths decrease with velocity. Increased column length resulted in increased resolution, because the peak widths remained essentially constant, although retention times increased. In addition, it was found that the peak capacity increased with column length and linear velocity. Radial compression of the microbore tubing enhanced the homogeneity of the packing and, thereby, separation efficiency and resolution. Radial compression of columns resulted in a decrease in the interstitial fraction (~5%), but increased resolution of ~14% between ribonuclease A and cytochrome c. Even so, a linear velocity of 75 mm s(-1) required a backpressure of 9.5 MPa only. It is clear that the fluid and solute-transport properties of the C-CP fiber microbore columns afford far better performance than is obtainable by use of standard format columns. The ability to achieve high separation efficiencies, rapidly and with low volume flow rates, holds promise for high-capacity protein separations in proteomics applications.     

A novel stationary phase: capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers for HPLC separations of proteins

A novel stationary phase is demonstrated for the separation of proteins. Capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers provide a stationary phase that is characterized by a high surface activity (yielding strong wicking action) and drastically reduced back pressures. Columns prepared by pulling approximately 1200 50- micro m diameter polypropylene C-CP fibers through stainless steel tubing with column dimensions of 4.6-mm i.d. and 306-mm length exhibit reversed-phase characteristics in the separation of the proteins. A gradient method [95:5 water-acetonitrile (ACN)/propanol (1:1) to 35:65 water-ACN/propanol] with trifluoroacetic acid added as an ion-pairing agent yields high-quality separations of superoxide dismutase, hemoglobin, hemocyanin, and myoglobin. It is believed that the C-CP fiber stationary phase holds a number of promising traits for applications in both analytical and prep-scale separations of diverse organic species, including a wide range of biomolecules.     

Nylon-6 capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers as a hydrophobic interaction chromatography stationary phase for the separation of proteins

Nylon-6 capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers are used as the stationary phase for the hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) separation of a synthetic protein mixture composed of ribonuclease A, lysozyme, and holotransferrin. Nylon is a useful polymer phase for HIC as it has an alkyl backbone, while the amide functionality is hydrophilic (in fact ionic) in nature. The combination of a nonporous polymer surface of the fiber phases and high column permeability yields very efficient mass transfer characteristics, as exhibited by narrowing of peak widths with increases in mobile phase linear velocity. Retention factors and resolution were evaluated at flow rates ranging from 0.5 to 9 mL/min (linear velocities of ca. 2 to 15 mm/s) and at gradient slopes between 3.3 and 20 %B/min. Optimum resolution was achieved by employing fast flow rates (9 mL/min) and slow gradients (3 %B/min), also resulting in the highest peak capacities.     

Application of polydopamine-coated nylon capillary-channeled polymer fibers as a stationary phase for mass spectrometric phosphopeptide analysis

Capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers are demonstrated as a selective stationary phase for phosphopeptide analysis via LC–MS. Taking advantage of the oxidative self-polymerization of dopamine under alkaline conditions, a simple system involving a dilute aqueous solution of 0.2% w/v dopamine hydrochloride in 0.15% w/v TRIS buffer, pH 8.5 was utilized to coat polydopamine onto nylon 6 C-CP fibers. Confirmation of the polydopamine coating on the fibers (nylon-PDA) was made through attenuated total reflection-FTIR (ATR-FTIR) analysis. Imaging using SEM was also performed to examine the morphology and topography of the nylon-PDA. Subsequent loading of Fe³⁺ to the nylon-PDA matrix was confirmed by SEM/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX). The Fe³⁺-bound nylon-PDA fibers packed in a microbore column format were tested in the off-line preconcentration of phosphopeptides from a 1:100 mixture of β-casein/BSA digests for MALDI-TOF analysis. The packed column was also installed onto an HPLC system as a platform for the online sample clean-up and enrichment of phosphopeptides from a 1:1000 mixture of β-casein/BSA protein digests that were determined by subsequent ESI–MS analysis.     

Capillary-Channeled Polymer (C-CP) Fibers as a Stationary Phase for Sample Clean-Up of Protein Solutions for Matrix-Assisted Laser/Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers are employed in a micropipette tip format to affect a stationary phase for the solid phase extraction (SPE) of proteins from buffer solutions prior to MALDI-MS analysis. Proteins readily adsorb to the polypropylene (PP) C-CP fibers while buffer species are easily washed off the tips using DI-H(2)O. Elution of the solutes is achieved with an aliquot of 50:50 ACN:H(2)O, which is compatible with the subsequent spotting on the MALDI target with the matrix solution. Lysozyme and cytochrome c are used as test species, with a primary buffer composition of 100 mM Tris-HCl. In this case, direct MALDI-MS produces no discernible protein signals. SPE on the C-CP fibers yields high fidelity mass spectra for 1 μL sample volumes. Limits of detection for cytochrome c in 100 mM Tris-HCl are on the order of 40 nM. Extraction of cytochrome c from buffer concentrations of up to 1 M Tris-HCl, provides signal recoveries that are suppressed by only ~50% versus neat protein solutions. Finally, extraction of 3.1 μM cytochrome c from a synthetic urine matrix exhibits excellent recovery.     

Protein separation and enrichment by counter-current chromatography using reverse micelle solvent systems

A protein mixture consisting of myoglobin, cytochrome c, and lysozyme was separated by high-speed counter-current chromatography using a two-phase aqueous/reverse micelle-containing organic solvent system. About 50% stationary phase retention ratio was obtained in most chromatographic experiments. Separations were manipulated mainly by pH gradients that controlled the electrostatic interactions between the protein molecules and reverse micelles. Separations were further improved by incorporating an ionic strength gradient along with the pH gradient. Control of ionic strength in the aqueous solution helped fine-tune protein partitioning between the stationary and mobile phases. Although non-specific protein interactions affected baseline resolution, recovery of cytochrome c and lysozyme reached 90% and 82%. Furthermore, concentration or enrichment of these two proteins was achieved from a large-volume sample load. This technique can potentially be employed in the recovery and enrichment of proteins from large-volume aqueous solutions.     

Influence of surface modification on protein retention in ion-exchange chromatography: Evaluation using different retention models

A large number of different stationary phases for ion-exchange chromatography (IEC) from different manufacturers are available, which vary significantly in a number of chemical and physical properties. As a consequence, binding mechanisms may be different as well. In the work reported here, the retention data of model proteins (α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin A, bovine serum albumin and alcohol dehydrogenase) were determined for three anion-exchange adsorbents based on synthetic copolymer beads with differences in the functional group chemistry. Fractogel EMD DEAE and Fractoprep DEAE consist of functional groups bound to the surface via “tentacles”, ToyopearlDEAE by a short linker. Three models which describe chromatographic retention were used to analyse the characteristic parameters of the protein/stationary-phase interactions. The number of electrostatic interaction between the stationary phase and the model proteins, the protein specific surface charge densities and the interacting surface of the proteins with the adsorptive layer of the chromatographic media depend on the surface modification as well as on the molecular mass of the model proteins. In general, protein retention of the model proteins on the weak anion exchangers was found to be greater if the stationary phase carries tentacles and protein mass is above 60 kDa.     

Surfactant-bound monolithic columns for separation of proteins in capillary high performance liquid chromatography

A surfactant-bound monolithic stationary phase based on the co-polymerization of 11-acrylamino-undecanoic acid (AAUA) is designed for capillary high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Using D-optimal design, the effect of the polymerization mixture (concentrations of monomer, crosslinker and porogens) on the chromatographic performance (resolution and analysis time) of the AAUA–EDMA monolithic column was evaluated. The polymerization mixture was optimized using three proteins as model test solutes. The D-optimal design indicates a strong dependence of chromatographic parameters on the concentration of porogens (1,4-butanediol and water) in the polymerization mixture. Optimized solutions for fast separation and high resolution separation, respectively, were obtained using the proposed multivariate optimization. Differences less than 6.8% between the predicted and the experimental values in terms of resolution and retention time indeed confirmed that the proposed approach is practical. Using the optimized column, fast separation of proteins could be obtained in 2.5 min, and a tryptic digest of myoglobin was successfully separated on the high resolution column. The physical properties (i.e., morphology, porosity and permeability) of the optimized monolithic column were thoroughly investigated. It appears that this surfactant-bound monolith may have a great potential as a new generation of capillary HPLC stationary phase.     

Evaluation of an amide‐based stationary phase for supercritical fluid chromatography

A relatively new stationary phase containing a polar group embedded in a hydrophobic backbone (i.e., ACE ® C18‐amide) was evaluated for use in supercritical fluid chromatography. The amide‐based column was compared with columns packed with bare silica, C₁₈ silica, and a terminal‐amide silica phase. The system was held at supercritical pressure and temperature with a mobile phase composition of CO₂ and methanol as cosolvent. The linear solvation energy relationship model was used to evaluate the behavior of these stationary phases, relating the retention factor of selected probes to specific chromatographic interactions. A five‐component test mixture, consisting of a group of drug‐like molecules was separated isocratically. The results show that the C₁₈‐amide stationary phase provided a combination of interactions contributing to the retention of the probe compounds. The hydrophobic interactions are favorable; however, the electron donating ability of the embedded amide group shows a large positive interaction. Under the chromatographic conditions used, the C₁₈‐amide column was able to provide baseline resolution of all the drug‐like probe compounds in a text mixture, while the other columns tested did not.     

人血清白蛋白柱上药物的手性拆分

考察了４种酸性药物和１种中性药物对映体在人血清白蛋白手性固定相上的保留行为。这５种药物与人血清白蛋白结合的亲和力高，难于实现快速分离，作者提出在流动相中加入短链脂肪酸－正己酸，可快速手性拆分非诺洛芬、萘普生和布洛芬。酮基布洛芬对映体分离选择性随乙腈浓度升高而增大，流动相中加入适量异丙醇可使对映体选择性大大增加（α～１．２３），华法令同样可取得很好分离。     

Protein separation using a novel silica-based RPLC/IEC stationary phase modified with N-methylimidazolium ionic liquid

Ionic liquids (ILs) immobilized on silica as novel high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) stationary phases have attracted considerable attention. However, it has not been applied to protein separation. In this paper, N-methylimidazolium IL-modified silica-based stationary phase (SilprMim) was prepared and investigated as a novel multi-interaction stationary phase charged positively for protein separation. The results indicate that all of the basic proteins tested cannot be absorbed on this novel stationary phase, whereas all of the acidic proteins tested can be retained, and the baseline separation of eight kinds of acidic protein standards can be achieved when performed in reversed phase/ ion-exchange chromatography (RPLC/IEC) mode. Compared with commonly used commercial octadecylated silica (ODS) column, the novel stationary phase can show selectivity and good resolution to acidic proteins, which has a promising application in the separation and analyses of acidic proteins from the complex samples in proteomics. In addition, the chromatographic behavior of proteins, the effect of the ligand structure and the retention mechanism on this stationary phase were also investigated.     

Capillary-channeled polymer fibers as stationary phases in liquid chromatography separations

A method utilizing capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers as stationary phases in high-performance liquid chromatographic separations has been investigated. Polymeric fibers of differing backbones (polypropylene and polyester) having nominal diameters of approximately 50 and approximately 35 microm and a channeled structure on their periphery were packed into stainless steel tubing (305 x 4.6 mm I.D.) for use in reversed-phase separations of various mixtures. The fibers have eight channels running continuously along the axis which exhibit very high surface activity. As such, solvent transport is affected through the channels through wicking action. Bundles of 1000-3000 fibers are loaded co-linearly into the tubing, providing flow channels extending the entire length of the columns. As a result, backing pressures are significantly lowered (approximately 50% reduction) in comparison to packed-sphere columns. In addition, the capital costs of the fiber material (< US$0.25 per column) are very attractive. Flow-rates of up to 5 ml/min can be used to achieve near baseline separation of related compounds in reasonable run times, indicating very fast mobile phase mass transfer (C-terms). The polymer stationary phases demonstrate high selectivity for a wide variety of analytes with gradient elution employed successfully in many instances. Specifically, separations of three polyaromatic hydrocarbons (benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene, pyrene), mixtures of both organic and inorganic lead compounds [chlorotriethyllead, chlorotriphenyllead, lead nitrate, lead(II) phthalocyanine], and a lipid standard of triglycerides were accomplished on the polymeric stationary phases. Other species of biological interest, including groups of aliphatic and aromatic amino acids have also been effectively separated. The reversed-phase nature of the fiber surfaces is supported through atomic force microscopy measurements using hydrophilic and hydrophobic functionalized polystyrene beads as the probe tips. Separations of the various analytes demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing C-CP fibers as stationary phases in reversed-phase LC. It is envisioned that columns of this nature would be particularly useful in prep-scale separations as well as for immobilization matrices for organic constituents in aqueous environments.     

Comparison and evaluation of HIC columns of different hydrophobicity

Summary Retention and selectivity in hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) depend both on the type of stationary phase and on the mobile phase. In the last few years various high performance packing materials and columns have been introduced for HIC resulting in a range of different retentions and selectivity. We have investigated the effect of the stationary phase on the retention of various proteins. The retention of some solutes of different hydrophobicities were measured on three commercial HIC columns (TSK-Phenyl, Synchropack-Propyl, CAA-HIC) under isocratic conditions using water-methanol mixtures as eluent. The log k_w values determined according to the literature were devalues determined according to the literature were dependent on the type and structure of the stationary phase and indicated a much less hydrophobic character for these columns than that obtained for reversed phase columns. Gradient separations were then carried out on a standard protein mixture using ammonium sulfate and sodium citrate to change the gradient time. In order to compare the effect of the stationary phase and the two salts investigated apparent capacity factors (k_g) were determined and plotted against the gradient time obtained for the three columns in the two eluent system. It was shown that the type of stationary phase had a significant effect on the retention of proteins. In addition, the effect of the mobile phase composition, i.e. salt type, was considerably different on the various stationary phases. In order to exploit the potential of HIC to modulate selectivity for the separation of proteins, the combined effect of the stationary phase and the type of salt should be taken into account.Dedicated to Professor Leslie S. Ettre on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

Brill transition of nylon-6 in electrospun nanofibers

Electrospun nylon-6 fibers were prepared from its polyelectrolyte solution in formic acid with different concentrtaions. In situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) were performed on the nylon-6 fibers heated to various temperatures until melting. For comparison, stepwise annealing of the solution-cast film having exclusively the α-form was also carried out to elucidate the structural evolution. Our results showed that Brill transition in the electrospun fibers occurs at a lower temperature than that in the solution-cast film due to the crystal size difference. Differential scanning calorimetry heating traces on the as-spun fibers exhibited a unique crystalline phase with a melting temperature of ～235?°C, higher than the equilibrium melting temperature of nylon-6. The content of high melting temperature (HMT) phase increased with increasing nylon-6 concentration; a maximum of 30?% of the fiber crystallinity was reached for fibers obtained from the 22?wt.% solution regardless of the heating rates used. Based on the SAXS and FTIR results, we speculated that the HMT phase is associated with thick α-form crystals developed from the highly oriented nylon-6 chains that are preserved in the skin layer of the as-spun fibers. A plausible mechanism for the formation of the skin/core fiber morphology during electrospinning was proposed.     

Capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers as a stationary phase in microbore high-performance liquid chromatography columns

Microbore columns utilizing polypropylene capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers as the stationary phase in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been investigated. The polypropylene C-CP fiber diameter is ∼50 μm, with eight channels along the periphery of the fiber ranging in diameter from ∼12 to 35 μm. The polypropylene C-CP fibers were packed into fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) tubing, 1.3 mm inner diameter, with lengths of 500, 750, and 1,000 mm, to examine the effects of increased column length with regards to plate height, resolution and analysis time. The low backpressures characteristic of the C-CP fiber stationary phases allow the length of the column to be increased without significantly decreasing the specific permeability. The high specific permeability (∼5×10⁻⁸ cm²) of the C-CP packed microbore columns yields a relatively low backpressure of 2.35 MPa at the highest flow rate of 17 μL/s (54 mm/s) for a 1,000 mm column. Radial compression of the soft-walled FEP tubing is accomplished by pulling the 1.7 mm o.d. column through a 1.4 mm diameter orifice. Reducing the inner diameter of the column from 1.3 to 1.0 mm lowered the interstitial fraction from 47% to 42%, decreased the A-term contributions to band broadening, resulted in a significant decrease in average plate height (∼30%), and increased resolution (∼36%) at identical linear velocities. Although the lower void volume of the radially compressed column increased the backpressure from 0.57 to 2.11 MPa at a linear velocity of ∼20 mm/s, the specific permeability only decreased from ∼7×10⁻⁸ to 4×10⁻⁸ cm².      

CEC separation of insect oostatic peptides using a strong-cation-exchange stationary phase

The separation of several insect oostatic peptides (IOPs) was achieved by using CEC with a strong-cation-exchange (SCX) stationary phase in the fused-silica capillary column of 75 microm id. The effect of organic modifier, ionic strength, buffer pH, applied voltage, and temperature on peptides' resolution was evaluated. Baseline separation of the studied IOPs was achieved using a mobile phase containing 100 mM pH 2.3 sodium phosphate buffer/water/ACN (10:20:70 v/v/v). In order to reduce the analysis time, experiments were performed in the short side mode where the stationary phase was packed for 7 cm only. The selection of the experimental parameters strongly influenced the retention time, resolution, and retention factor. An acidic pH was selected in order to positively charge the analyzed peptides, the pI's of which are about 3 in water buffer solutions. A good selectivity and resolution was achieved at pH <2.8; at higher pH the three parameters decreased due to reduced or even zero charge of peptides. The increase in the ionic strength of the buffer present in the mobile phase caused a decrease in retention factor for all the studied compounds due to the decreased interaction between analytes and stationary phase. Raising the ACN concentration in the mobile phase in the range 40-80% v/v caused an increase in both retention factor, retention time, and resolution due to the hydrophilic interactions of IOPs with free silanols and sulfonic groups of the stationary phase.     

Retention Behavior of Proteins on Glutamic Acid-Boned Silica Stationary Phase

A glutamic acid-bonded silica (Glu-silica) stationary phase with cation-exchange properties was synthesized using l-glutamic acid as ligand and silica gel as matrix. The effects of solution pH value, salt concentration and metal ion on the retention of proteins were examined. The standard protein mixture was separated with a prepared chromatographic column and an iminodiacetic acid column, and compared. The influence of the binding capacity of an immobilized metal ion on the complexation of metal chelate column was studied. The results indicate that the obtained column displays cation-exchange characteristic and better separation ability for proteins. As fixing metal ion on the Glu-silica column, retention of proteins on the column is a cooperative interaction of metal chelate and cation-exchange. The stationary phase shows the typical metal chelate properties with the increase of the sorption capacity of immobilized metal ion.     

疏水作用色谱中流动相组成对溶质保留行为的影响

 首次研究了疏水作用色谱 (HIC)中芳香醇同系物在不同种类盐流动相中的保留行为。以计量置换保留模型中的参数Z分析了HIC中小分子与生物大分子保留行为的差别 ,以及不同流动相组成对两种类型溶质的洗脱范围及洗脱能力的影响。与反相色谱相似 ,芳香醇在HIC中的保留仍存在同系物规律。比较了小分子和生物大分子在不同盐溶液中的Z值变化 ,表明流动相中的盐仅改变小分子与固定相的水合程度 ,而对生物大分子 ,除改变其和固定相水合程度外 ,还会影响生物大分子与固定相接触区的分子构象     

High-performance liquid chromatography of amino acid peptides and proteins

Summary The retention behaviour of seven globular proteins ranging in molecular weight from 12,000 to 69,000 was investigated using Mono-Q anion-exchange resin as the stationary phase and sodium chloride as the displacer salt. In particular the influence of changes in ionic strength and mobile phase pH on the isocratic retention properties was assessed. Several proteins were found to have significant retention when the pH of the mobile phase was below the reported pl values of the proteins. This behaviour results from the non-uniform charge distribution on the protein surface, which allows interaction with the charged stationary phase even though the protein net charge is equal to or greater than zero. The influence of pH and ionic strength on experimentally observed bandwidths was also investigated. The dependence of the effective reduced plate height on solute capacity factor was found to vary significantly with the mobile phase pH, a behaviour consistent with the interplay of complex multisite binding kinetics. These results provide a basis for further detailed investigations into the mechanism of interaction of proteins not only with charged surfaces associated with adsorptive chromatographic media but also with other macromolecules. For Part LXXXII, see ref. [27].