Temperature-responsive chromatography for the separation of biomolecules

Temperature-responsive chromatography for the separation of biomolecules utilizing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and its copolymer-modified stationary phase is performed with an aqueous mobile phase without using organic solvent. The surface properties and function of the stationary phase are controlled by external temperature changes without changing the mobile-phase composition. This analytical system is based on nonspecific adsorption by the reversible transition of a hydrophilic-hydrophobic PNIPAAm-grafted surface. The driving force for retention is hydrophobic interaction between the solute molecules and the hydrophobized polymer chains on the stationary phase surface. The separation of the biomolecules, such as nucleotides and proteins was achieved by a dual temperature- and pH-responsive chromatography system. The electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions could be modulated simultaneously with the temperature in an aqueous mobile phase, thus the separation system would have potential applications in the separation of biomolecules. Additionally, chromatographic matrices prepared by a surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) exhibit a strong interaction with analytes, because the polymerization procedure forms a densely packed polymer, called a polymer brush, on the surfaces. The copolymer brush grafted surfaces prepared by ATRP was an effective tool for separating basic biomolecules by modulating the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Applications of thermally responsive columns for the separations of biomolecules are reviewed here.     

Reversible Self-Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles Based on Co-Functionalization with Zwitterionic and Cationic Binding Motifs**

We report a pH- and temperature-controlled reversible self-assembly of Au-nanoparticles (AuNPs) in water, based on their surface modification with cationic guanidiniocarbonyl pyrrole (GCP) and zwitterionic guanidiniocarbonyl pyrrole carboxylate (GCPZ) binding motifs. When both binding motifs are installed in a carefully balanced ratio, the resulting functionalized AuNPs self-assemble at pH 1, pH 7 and pH 13, whereas they disassemble at pH 3 and pH 11. Further disassembly can be achieved at elevated temperatures at pH 1 and pH 13. Thus, we were able to prepare functionalized nanoparticles that can be assembled/disassembled in seven alternating regimes, simply controlled by pH and temperature.     

聚酰胺螺旋纤维的多级自组装行为研究

以含聚异丙二醇（PPG）链段的聚醚胺和己二酸为原料,合成了温度响应性聚酰胺APA;FT-IR和GPC的结果表明合成产物具有酰胺结构的聚合物;Micro-DSC和变温紫外测试的结果表明,合成的APA具有33℃的最低临界互溶温度;TEM和AFM的结果表明当组装体溶液浓度为1 mg/mL时,APA在常温下可以组装成长纤维,其形成经历了“胶束-胶束多聚体-胶束融合-长纤维”等多级自组装过程.而当温度升为60℃,这些长纤维会转变为平均螺距为35 nm的螺旋纤维.螺旋纤维的形成本质上是当温度高于LCST时,APA纤维中的PPG链段坍塌,从而诱导纤维发生扭转,最终导致螺旋结构的出现.     

PNIPAAm改性表面对蛋白质吸附的调控及其应用

根据不同领域的需要,控制蛋白质在材料表面的吸附是一个具有重要应用价值的课题。聚（N-异丙基丙烯酰胺）（PNIPAAm）改性表面能够响应外界温度变化从而改变其表面性质,这一特点为调控蛋白质的吸附提供了可能。近年来,研究者们应用多种表征方法考察了不同温度下蛋白质在PNIPAAm改性表面的吸附,并试图从分子水平上深入理解其吸附机制及影响因素。本文综述了近年来应用PNIPAAm改性表面对蛋白质吸附的研究及其最新进展。发现当PNIPAAm层厚度处于一定范围内时,PNIPAAm改性表面表现出对蛋白质吸附的温度敏感性,并可以利用这一性质将其应用于蛋白质纯化及分离和生物传感器等领域。而当PNIPAAm层厚度超过一个临界值时,PNIPAAm改性表面表现出良好的阻抗血浆蛋白质的性质,使其有望在血液相容性表面领域得到应用。最后,就PNIPAAm改性表面调控蛋白质吸附的未来发展方向简要地进行了展望。     

酸功能化-温控型三元杂多酸离子液体的合成、表征及其酯催化性能

采用酸化-乙醚萃取法制备了不同钒取代数目的 Keggin结构的磷钨钒杂多酸,并进一步通过离子交换法合成了磺酸功能化的杂多酸离子液体催化剂,采用核磁、元素分析、红外、紫外、X射线衍射、热重-差示扫描、电位滴定等分析手段对所得样品进行了表征,考察了所得样品对氯乙酸和正戊醇的酯化反应性能和重复使用性能。结果表明,所制备的杂多酸离子液体是一种具有温度响应特性的无定型结构化合物,仍保留Keggin结构和较高的酸强度,该催化剂在反应温度下与反应物形成一相,而反应结束温度降低后,催化剂和产物又形成两相,通过简单的倾倒法就可以快速分离催化剂和反应产物。与杂多酸以及未磺酸化的杂多酸离子液体相比,磺酸功能化的杂多酸离子液体具有更高的酯催化活性。在优化的反应条件下,[PyPS]4PW11VO40(PyPS为1-(3-磺酸基)丙基吡啶)对氯乙酸的转化率可达到97.6%,重复使用4次后转化率为91.9%,而催化剂的结构未有明显变化。     

Temperature‐Responsive Chiral (A)6B Supramolecular Cages Based on Conformational Preferences

Two chiral (A)₆B‐typed supramolecular cages were constructed from hydrogen‐bonded C₆‐symmetric zinc porphyrin hexamers and chiral C₃‐symmetric pyridyl hexadentates with a core of 1,3,5‐triphenylbenzene. Circular dichroism and molecular simulations revealed that the symmetry of the supramolecular cages switched from pseudo‐C_3v to C₃ with the rotational confinement of the biphenyl backbones at low temperatures, which generated conformationally chiral transfer and amplification. This unique phenomenon suggests a new strategy to develop smart materials with high sensitivity and excellent reversibility.     

Modeling of Drug Release from a Novel Temperature-Responsive Phase-Transient Drug Delivery System in Cylindrical Coordinates

In this study, a novel phase-transient multilayer drug delivery system responsive to a unique stimulus, i.e., temperature, was introduced in cylindrical coordinates. The system is composed of three individual sections, including the drug core, phase-transient intermediate layer, and protecting polymeric coverage. The phase-transient layer gives smartness to the system and creates an “On-Off” release profile with increasing or decreasing the environmental temperature around the melting point of the layer. The “On-Off” response of the system was mathematically modeled by analyzing the heat and mass transfer equations in the pseudo-steady state and the effects of various parameters on the performance of the system were investigated. The modeling results showed the intensity of the effects of different kinds of factors, including the geometrical characteristics of the system (e.g., the radius of the drug core and the thicknesses of the intermediate and polymeric layers), the physical properties of the matrix materials (e.g., the thermal conductivities and diffusion coefficients of the intermediate and polymeric layers), and the operation conditions, on the response time lag and release kinetics of the presented system. The obtained results in this study predict methods to prepare multilayer temperature-responsive drug delivery systems with desired and optimized responses (e.g., with a short lag time) for practical biomedical applications.     

Preparation and characterization of pH- and temperature-responsive semi-IPN hydrogels of carboxymethyl chitosan with poly (<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-isopropyl acrylamide) crosslinked by clay

A new kind of pH- and temperature-responsive semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel based on linear carboxymethylchitosan (CMCS) and poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) crosslinked by inorganic clay was prepared. The pH-and temperature-responsive behaviors, the deswelling kinetics, and the mechanical properties of the hydrogel were investigated. The hydrogels exhibited a volume phase transition temperature around 33 °C with no significant deviation from the conventional PNIPA hydrogels. The results of the influence of pH value on the swelling behaviors showed that the minimum swelling ratios of the hydrogels appeared near the isoelectric point (IEP) of CMCS, and when pH deviated from the IEP, the hydrogels behaved as polycations or polyanions. The novel hydrogels had much higher response rate than the conventional CMCS/PNIPA hydrogels. Moreover, the semi-IPN hydrogels crosslinked by clay could be elongated to more than 800% and the elongation could be recovered almost completely and instantaneously.     

Preparation and release profiles of pH/temperature-responsive carboxymethyl chitosan/P(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) semi-IPN amphoteric hydrogel

Thermo- and pH-responsive semi-IPN polyampholyte hydrogels were prepared by using carboxymethyl chitosan and P(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) with N N'-Methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) as crosslinking agent. It was found that the semi-IPN hydrogel shrunk most at the isoelectric point (IEP) and swelled when pH deviated from the IEP. Its swelling ratio dramatically decreased between 30 and 50 °C at pH 6.8 buffer solution. It also showed good reversibility. The UV results showed that when the pH values of drug release medium were 3.7, 6.8, and 9 at 25 °C, the cumulative release rates reached 83.1, 51.5, and 72.2%, respectively. The release rate of coenzyme A (CoA) was higher at 50 °C than 37 and 25 °C at pH 6.8 solution. The release rate decreased with increasing the content of carboxymethyl chitosan at 25 °C in pH 6.8 solution. The results showed that semi-IPN hydrogel seems to be of great promise in pH/temperature drug delivery systems.     

Separation of phosphorylated peptides utilizing dual pH- and temperature-responsive chromatography

The phosphorylation of a peptide is considered to be one of the most important post-translational modification reactions that can alter protein function in mammalian cells. To separate and purify, we developed a dual temperature- and pH-responsive chromatography based on terpolymer composed of N-isopropylacrylamide, N,N'-dimethylaminopropylacrylamide and butylmethacrylate. The property of the surface of the terpolymer-grafted stationary phase altered from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, and from changed to non-charged by changes in the temperature and the pH, respectively. In addition, it was possible to appear and hide ion-exchange groups on the polymer chain surface by temperature changes. These phenomena resulted from changes in the charge and the hydrophobicity of the pH- and temperature-responsive polymer on the stationary surface by controlling the temperature. In the developed environmental-responsive chromatographic system, the ionizable dimethylamino group of N,N'-dimethylaminopropylacrylamide in terpolymer played a key role for the separation. We applied the developed chromatographic system to the separation of phosphorylated compounds, such as phospho-tyrosine, phosphopeptide and oligonucleotides. At a low column temperature, the electrostatic interaction plays a predominant role for retain anionic phosphorylated compounds, because of the strong interaction between the cationic dimethylamino group in the stationary phase and the anionic phosphoric group in the analyte. On the contrary, the hydrophobic interaction became predominant upon increasing the temperature. The results showed that both the electrostatic and the hydrophobic interactions became controllable with a temperature change during the chromatographic process. Dual pH- and temperature-responsive chromatography would be very useful for biomacromolecules separation and purification.