Designed synthesis of ultra-hydrophilic sulfo-functionalized metal-organic frameworks with a magnetic core for highly efficient enrichment of the N-linked glycopeptides

- A facile route for preparation of an ultra-hydrophilic sulfo-functionalized metal-organic framework.
- Excellent hydrophilicity with the contact angle data supported.
- Strong magnetic responsiveness, high selectivity and sensitivity for glycopeptide enrichment in standard proteins and biological samples.
- Stable and reusable for several times.

Highly efficient extraction and enrichment of the N-linked glycopeptides from complex biological samples before mass spectrometry analysis remains important but challenging, due to the low abundance and suppression by proteins and salts. Herein, a facile route to an ultra-hydrophilic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-functionalized magnetic nanoparticle (Fe3O4@PDA@Zr-SO3H) was proposed. The as-prepared MOFs was endowed with excellent and unique properties, such as excellent hydrophilicity, ultrahigh surface area, and strong magnetic responsiveness. By virtue of these properties and based on hydrophilic interaction, Fe3O4@PDA@Zr-SO3H exhibited outstanding sensitivity and selectivity, remarkable recyclability and stability towards N-linked glycopeptide enrichment. In deep, a total of 177 N-linked glycopeptides, assigned to 85 different glycoproteins, were identified from the healthy human serum after treated with the Fe3O4@PDA@Zr-SO3H. These results confirmed that our strategy offered a promising platform for preparing hydrophilic metal-organic framework-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for glycosylation analysis by mass spectrometry analysis.