Affinity of human thrombin for insoluble polystyrene substituted with sulfonate,n-hydroxyethylsulfamoyl and n-substituted amidine functions

A new polymeric material was prepared from polystyrene beads with N-substituted amidines and rendered hydrophilic with sulfonate and N-hydroxyethylsulfamoyl groups. It was synthesized by reacting the p-chlorosulfonyl polystyrene with ethanolamine followed by the Michael-like addition of the terminal OH of the polymer (PSEa) to N-t-butyl-N'-phenylpropenamidine 1 thus leading to the final polymer PSEaAm. Its affinity constant for human α-thrombin calculated from the Langmuir adsorption isotherms was about 10⁶ M⁻¹, a value comparable to the one estimated for polystyrene modified with L-arginine methyl ester. This new material was used as stationary phase in affinity chromatography of thrombin confirming a strong and specific interaction between the positively charged amidinium groups and the enzyme at pH = 7.4 and desorption at pH = 10 and high ionic strength.