Preparation and characterization of spherical polymer packings from polybutadiene for size-exclusion chromatography

Porous polymer spherical particles for column packings in nonaqueous size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) were prepared from 1,2-syndiotactic polybutadiene by suspension and evaporation method. The polymer microbeads obtained were crosslinked by radical reaction between 2-vinyl groups in polybutadiene with ultraviolet radiation, to render them insoluble. These microbeads have wider chromatographic separation width than polystyrene column packings. In addition, the polybutadiene microbeads did not show the excessive retention observed with commercial polystyrene columns for polycyclic aromatic compounds. Therefore, a close correlation between the elution volume and M, for polycyclic aromatic compounds was observed with polybutadiene microbeads columns.     

Preparative size-exclusion chromatography for purification and characterization of colloidal quantum dots bound by chromophore-labeled polymers and low-molecular-weight chromophores

We explore the use of preparative size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to purify quantum dots (QDs) after surface modification. In one example, in which Bio-Beads (S-X1) were used as the packing material for the preparative SEC column, CdSe QDs treated with a functional coumarin dye could be separated from the excess free dye by using tetrahydrofuran (THF) as the mobile phase. This column was unable to separate polymer-coated QDs from free polymer (M ∼ 8000) because of the relatively low cutoff mass of the column. Here a preparative HPLC column packed with TOYOPEARL gel allowed the effective separation of polymer-bound QDs from the excess free polymer by using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) as the mobile phase. When other solvents such as absolute ethanol, acetonitrile, THF, and THF–triethylamine mixtures were used as the eluent, QDs stuck to the column. While NMP was an effective medium to remove excess free polymer from the QDs, it was difficult to transfer the purified QDs to more volatile solvents and maintain colloidal stability.     

Effect of draining of macromolecules on the results of size-exclusion chromatography measurements

Summary Using chromatographic analysis and viscometric investigations of polyamic acids, it has been shown that the linear relationship of the logarithm of intrinsic viscosity and the logarithm of molecular weight of flexible-chain macromolecules exhibits a break on passing from the oligomeric to the polymeric range. Simultaneously, the Huggins constant also changes. These changes result from a decrease in the draining of macromolecules with increasing number of statistical segments. In particular, draining affects the hydrodynamic dimensions determining the SEC-behavior of macromolecules. Semi-empirical expressions have been obtained for the Flory constant Φ and the constants in the Mark-Kuhn-Houwink equation as functions of the draining of macromolecules, the number of their statistical segments and the parameter of volume interaction characterizing the thermodynamic strength of solvent. For this purpose the solution of an integral equation for eigen-functions in the Zimm theory found by Tschoegl was applied.     

Light-scattering and turbidimetric detection of silica colloids in size-exclusion chromatography

Silica colloids were separated by size-exclusion chromatography and monitored by fluorimetric and UV detection. In the former means of detection, silica colloids were visualized by light-scattering. The signal intensity based on the light scattering increased with increasing size of the silica colloids. The maximum intensity was observed at excitation wavelengths around 270–290nm. In UV detection, silica colloids were visualized based on turbidimetry, and the signal intensity also increased with increasing size of the silica colloids and with decreasing detection wavelength. The signal intensities for both light-scattering and turbidimetric detection were a linear function of the concentration of the silica colloids. The detection limit at S/N = 3 for 78-nm colloids was 0.06 ppm for light-scattering detection whereas the LOD was 2.3 ppm for UV detection. Effects of mobile phase conditions and flow rate on resolution and peak shape were examined. Use of phosphate buffer allowed the separation of silica colloids of different sizes in size-exclusion chromatography.     

Thermodynamic equilibrium of the solute distribution in size-exclusion chromatography

Our understanding of the nature of solute retention in size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) is predicated upon an equilibrium, entropy-controlled, size-exclusion mechanism. The entropic nature of the separation depends, in turn, upon the solute distribution coefficient (K(SEC) being at (or close to) thermodynamic equilibrium. Classic experiments to confirm this assumption were performed over thirty years ago. Here, we combine information obtained from both flow and static mixing SEC experiments to show that the solute distribution in SEC is in thermodynamic equilibrium over a molar mass range extending one order of magnitude higher than previously measured (from 2 x 10(3) to 1.1 x 10(6) Da) using crosslinked polystyrene packing material of identical pore size (10(4) A). The differences between our observations and previous ones conducted over three decades ago are ascribed, principally, to advances in stationary phase synthesis and column technology for SEC in particular and, secondarily, to improvements in the performance of the various instrumental components of liquid chromatographic systems in general.     

Dispersive mixing and intraparticle partitioning of protein in size-exclusion chromatographic refolding

Refolding enables bioprocesses predicated on proteins expressed as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. Optimization of size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) refolding is a significant challenge because a wide range of factors, including the choice of gel media, the column dimensions and configuration, affect the final yield in a protein-specific manner. In this study, we investigated these factors by relating them to dispersive mixing and partitioning of refolding molecules within the SEC pore structure. Lysozyme was refolded using SEC resins giving different column dispersion and chromatography resolution. Despite a low separation resolution, the desalting SEC resin Sephadex G-25 resulted in a refolding yield that was 12-30% higher than those obtained with Superdex 75 and Superdex 200. This finding supported the notion that SEC refolding was enhanced by dispersive mixing, which was increased by a wide particle size distribution of the Sephadex G-25 used. Column dispersion was further improved by strategically placing an inlet gap before the packed resin beds, leading to a 20% increase in refolding yield. Refolding yield in Superdex 75 was 20% higher than that in Superdex 200 under conditions giving similar dispersive mixing. This yield enhancement is expected to be protein-specific since Superdex 75 was chosen to specifically maximize partitioning of lysozyme molecules within the resin particles, reducing the likelihood of aggregation during refolding. The highest refolding yield (65%) was achieved using a Sephadex G-25 column with a 15 mm inlet gap, suggesting that desalting systems optimized for dispersive mixing might be an economical and generic alternative for preparative SEC protein refolding.     

High-performance size-exclusion chromatography with crosslinked polystyrene. Separation of polymers and oligomers using LiChrogel PS

Summary A new series of polystyrene-divinyl benzene PS/DVB-based microparticulate packings for size-exclusion chromatography [SEC] is presented. These gel-based packings are characterized by mechanical stability, minimal interaction with solutes and ability to handle a wide variety and size range of polymers and low relative molecular mass samples. Combinations of different pore sizes are discussed and separations of standard polymers and commercial products are shown.     

Indirect fluorimetric detection of proteins via postcolumn mixing with fluorescence probe in size-exclusion chromatography

Summary Proteins were visualized by postcolumn mixing with 2-p-toluidinyl-6-naphthalene sulfonate or 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate in size-exclusion chromatography. The indirect detection is based on fluorescence enhancement of the fluorescence probe owing to hydrophobic interaction with proteins. Bovine serum albumin gave the highest signal intensity among the proteins examined.     

Estimation of the band broadening parameters in single detection size-exclusion chromatography: a comparative study of various column combinations

Alternative approaches for the determination of band broadening in size-exclusion chromatography based on the use of exponentially modified Gaussian (EMG) functions were used to experimentally investigate the performance of two different column sets. In both cases, the columns were combined in order to cover the complete fractionation range (from 10³ to 5 × 10⁶ g mol⁻¹), which is of interest in many applications. When analyzing experimental chromatograms the question of proper data treatment (especially the necessary smoothing routines) became obvious and is discussed accordingly. First results indicate that the exponential decay time of the EMG decreases and the standard deviation of its Gaussian component slightly increases (or remains almost constant) with increasing retention volumes. As a consequence, the total variance and the asymmetry of the EMG both decrease with the retention volume. A favorable agreement with independent experimental results (obtained by other researchers on the basis of analyzing ultra narrow standards) was found. Additionally, the skew was also investigated as a function of the retention volume and the trend was found to be in concordance with the predictions of theoretical models. The comparison with theoretical models is also discussed.     

Oscillatory transverse electric field enhances protein resolution and capacity of size-exclusion chromatography

Protein separations by a novel size-exclusion electrochromatography (SEEC) are presented. The present SEEC, denoted as pSEEC, was established with an oscillatory low-voltage electric field perpendicular to the mobile-phase streamline. Retention experiments with different proteins indicated that the influence of electric field strength on the partition coefficient is different for different proteins as well as for the same protein under different mobile-phase conditions. These results of protein retention led to the experimental design of protein separations with binary mixtures of BSA and immunoglobulin G (IgG), myoglobin (Myo) and lysozyme (Lys), as well as ovalbumin (Oval) and Myo. The separation results for the binary protein systems sufficiently exhibited the applicability of the pSEEC for various separations in terms of their molecular weights (MWs) as well as pIs. For example, it was possible to separate the gel-excluded proteins (BSA/IgG) as well as gel-permeable and similar-molecular-weight proteins (Myo/Lys) by the pSEEC. Moreover, in the cases of Oval/ Myo, which could be partially separated by size-exclusion chromatography, the use of the pSEEC greatly improved the resolution and the separation became possible at high sample loading. The results indicate that the pSEEC technology is promising for preparative protein separations.     

Determination of naturally occurring hydroxynaphthoquinone polymers by size-exclusion chromatography

Summary Polymerization of alkannin, shikonin, and their derivatives, potent pharmaceutical substances, crucially affects their use in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and as food colorants, because it leads to loss of their antimicrobial activity, reduction of the lustre of their red coloration, and a decrease in their solubility. In this study size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) has been used for the first time for qualitative and quantitative analysis of monomeric and polymeric hydroxynaphthoquinone alkannin and shikonin derivatives. The purity and degree of polymerization has been determined to evaluate severalAlkanna tinctoria root samples from different geographical sources, and commercial samples of alkannin and shikonin, as pharmaceutical raw materials. Conditions for extraction of hydroxynaphthoquinones fromAlkanna tinctoria roots with olive oil were optimized in terms of polimerization, aiming to improve the biological activity of the final pharmaceutical product, Helixderm.     

Study of aggregation,denaturation and reduction of interferon alpha-2 products by size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and biological assays

Interferon alpha-2 (IFN α-2) products have been widely used as antivirals for the treatment of serious diseases such as hepatitis B and C. However, reports of adverse reactions following treatment have prompted investigations into the cause of these undesirable events. In this study size-exclusion HPLC (SE-HPLC) methods coupled with intrinsic fluorescence detection were developed for evaluating the stability and degradation profiles of IFN α-2 drug substances and drug products. The method allowed baseline resolution of the active ingredient from the excipients present in the finished products that included large amounts of albumin. Limits of detection (S/N ≥ 3) for IFN α-2a and IFN α-2b were 32 ng/mL and 28 ng/mL, respectively and good repeatability of chromatographic profiles (%RSD < 2.1) was obtained. High molecular weight (HMW) aggregates with apparent molecular weight of ∼650 kDa as well as dimers, denatured and reduced variants were successfully identified and separated from native IFN α-2 proteins. This chromatographic method, which quantitatively measures physical and chemical changes taking place in solution formulations, was found to be capable of monitoring IFN α-2a and IFN α-2b stability. Potency assay results revealed up to 87% decrease in biological activity of the physically and chemically altered variants compared to the original IFNs.     

Selectivity in preparative separations of inorganic electrolytes by size-exclusion chromatography on hypercrosslinked polystyrene and microporous carbons

Preparative-scale separation of concentrated solutions of simplest mineral electrolytes by size-exclusion chromatography was performed on three samples of commercially available microporous hypercrosslinked polystyrene sorbents "Macronet Hypersol" and two experimental samples of activated carbons. Selectivity of separation of a pair of electrolytes was found to be determined by the largest ions in each pair. Fortunately, selectivity rises at higher concentrations of electrolytes, which was explained by exclusion of smaller species from the concentrated solution, i.e., mobile phase, into small pores of the column packing that are inaccessible to large species. The separation of concentrated mixtures revealed another remarkable advantage of the new process - self-concentrating of each of two separated components in the corresponding fractions. Self-concentration is more pronounced for the minor component that occupied less space in the initial mixture. The new method may prove productive in processing pickle bath solutions.     

Molecular size fractionation of soil humic acids using preparative high performance size-exclusion chromatography

High performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) is useful for the molecular size separation of soil humic acids (HAs), but there is no method available for various HAs with different chemical properties. In this paper the authors propose a new preparative HPSEC method for various soil HAs. Three soil HAs with different chemical properties were fractionated by a Shodex OHpak SB-2004 HQ column with 10mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0)/acetonitrile (3:1, v/v) as an eluent. The HAs eluted within a reasonable column range time (12-25 min) without peak tailing. Preparative HPSEC chromatograms of these HAs indicated that non-size-exclusion effects were suppressed. The separated fractions were analyzed by HPSEC to determine their apparent molecular weights. These decreased sequentially from fraction 1 to fraction 10, suggesting that the HAs had been separated by their molecular size. The size-separated fractions of the soil HA were mixed to compare them with unfractionated HA. The analytical HPSEC chromatogram of the mixed HA was almost identical to that of the unfractionated HA. It appears that the HAs do not adsorb specifically to the column during preparative HPSEC. Our preparative HPSEC method allows for rapid and reproducible separation of various soil HAs by molecular size.     

Purification and identification of PEGlated hemoglobin, a potential blood substitute, by chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Summary Bovine hemoglobin (Hb) has been chemically modified, by reaction of its lysine residues with the active ester of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG,M _w=5000), to produce a potential blood substitute for human therapy. Covalent attachment of PEG chain to the protein produced a heterogeneous mixture of Hb from the mixture. This paper describes the use of cation-exchange chromatography (IEC), in flow-through mode, and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) for purification of the PEG-Hb mixture. The highly modified Hb flowed through the IEC column in the loading buffer without adsorption by the chromatographic medium. SEC was then used for further purification. These two steps were suitable for pilot-scale preparation or for analytical chromatography. The purified product was assessed by high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE), which was also used to optimize the chromatographic parameters.     

On-line concentration of peptides and proteins with the hyphenation of polymer monolithic immobilized metal affinity chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

An iminodiacetic acid (IDA)-type adsorbent is prepared at the one end of a capillary by covalently bonding IDA to the monolithic rods of macroporous poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate). Cu(II) is later introduced to the support via the interaction with IDA. By this means, polymer monolithic immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) materials are prepared. With such a column, IMAC for on-line concentration and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the subsequent analysis are hyphenated for the analysis of peptides and proteins. The reproducibility of such a column has been proved good with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of dead time of less than 5% for injection-to-injection and 12% for column-to-column (n = 3). Through application on the analysis of standard peptides and real protein samples, such a technique has shown promising in proteome study.     

Characterization of complex hydrocarbon mixtures using on-line coupling of size-exclusion chromatography and normal-phase liquid chromatography to high-resolution gas chromatography

An on-line coupling of size-exclusion Chromatography (SEC), normal-phase liquid Chromatography (NPLC), and gas Chromatography (GC) for the characterization of complex hydrocarbon mixtures is described. The hyphenated system separates according to size, polarity, and boiling point. The use of size exclusion as the first separation step allows for the direct injection of complex (“dirty”) samples withont prior clean-up. SEC-NPLC coupling was realized using an on-line solvent evaporator based on fully concurrent solvent evaporation (FCSE) using a modified loop-type interface, vapor exit and co-solvent trapping. Complete reconcentration of the analytes was realized by the introduction of a cryogenic cold trap. For the subsequent hydrocarbon group-type separation an ammo-silica column with n-heptane as eluent was used. The NPLC-GC coupling was based on an on-column interface using partially concurrent solvent evaporation (PCSE) and an early vapor exit. Initial results obtained on the analysis of a residue from the atmospheric crude-oil distillation (a so-called long residue) are presented as an example of the enormous separation power of the SEC-NPLC-GC system. The application of the system for quantitative analysis has not yet been studied.     

Investigation of mercury-containing proteins by enriched stable isotopic tracer and size-exclusion chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma-isotope dilution mass spectrometry

In order to investigate trace mercury-containing proteins in maternal rat and their offspring, a method of enriched stable isotopic tracer (¹⁹⁶Hg and ¹⁹⁸Hg) combined with size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled to inductively coupled plasma-isotope dilution mass spectrometry (ICP-IDMS) was developed. Prior to the analysis, ¹⁹⁶Hg- and ¹⁹⁸Hg-enriched methylmercury was administrated to the pregnant rats. Then the mercury-containing proteins in serum and brain cytosol of the dam and pup rats were separated by size-exclusion columns and the mercury was detected by ICP-MS. The ICP-MS spectrogram of the tracing samples showed significantly elevated ¹⁹⁶Hg and ¹⁹⁸Hg isotopic signals compared with the natural ones, indicating that the detection sensitivity could be increased by the tracer method. The contents of mercury in chromatographic fractions of the dam and pup rat brain cytosol were quantitatively estimated by post-column reverse ID-ICP-MS. The quantitative speciation differences of mercury in brain cytosol between the dam and pup rats were observed, indicating that such studies could be useful for toxicological estimation. Additionally, the isotopic ratio measurement of ¹⁹⁸Hg/²⁰²Hg in the tracing samples could be used to identify the artifact mercury species caused in the analytical procedure. The study demonstrates that the tracer method combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ICP-IDMS could provide reliably qualitative and quantitative information on mercury-containing proteins in organisms.     

Effect of protein aggregates on foaming properties of β-lactoglobulin

Our paper aims at determining the respective part of protein aggregates and non-aggregated proteins in the foam formation and stability of β-lactoglobulin. We report results on fractal aggregates formed at neutral pH and strong ionic strength (aggregates size from 30 to 190 nm). Pure aggregates and mixtures of non-aggregated/aggregated proteins at varying ratios were used. The capacity of aggregates to form and stabilize foams has been studied in relation with their ability to absorb at air/water interfaces. Our results show that protein aggregates are not able by themselves to improve the foaming properties but participate to a better foam stabilization in the presence of non-aggregated proteins. Non-aggregated proteins appear to be necessary to produce stable foams. We have shown that the amount and the size of aggregates had an influence on the drainage rate.     

Study on the interaction between oxolinic acid aggregates and protein and its analytical application

It was found that oxolinic acid (OA) at high concentration can self-assemble into nano- to micro- meter scale OA aggregates in Tris-HCl (pH 7.48) buffer solution. The nanoparticles of OA were adopted as fluorescence probes in the quantitative analysis of proteins. Under optimum conditions, the fluorescence quenching extent of nanometer scale OA aggregates was in proportion to the concentration of albumins in the range of 3.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 3.0 × 10⁻⁵ g mL⁻¹ for bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 8.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 8.0 × 10⁻⁶ g mL⁻¹ for human serum albumin (HSA). The detection limits (S/N = 3) were 3.4 × 10⁻⁹ g mL⁻¹ for BSA, and 2.6 × 10⁻⁸ g mL⁻¹ for HSA, respectively. Samples were satisfactorily determined. The interaction mechanism of the system was studied using fluorescence, UV-vis, resonance light scattering (RLS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) technology, etc., indicating that the nonluminescent complex was formed between serum albumin molecular and OA, to disaggregate the self-association of OA, which resulted in the dominated static fluorescence quenching in the system.