Adsorption of peptides and small proteins with control access polymer permeation to affinity binding sites. Part II: Polymer permeation-ion exchange separation adsorbents with polyethylene glycol and strong anion exchange groups

In chromatographic separations, the most general problem in small biomolecule isolation and purification is that such biomolecules are usually found in extremely low concentrations together with high concentrations of large molecular weight proteins. In the first part of this work, adsorption and size exclusion chromatography (AdSEC) controlled access media, using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a semi-permeable barrier on a polysaccharide Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) matrix was synthesized and used to develop chromatographic adsorbents that preferentially adsorb and separate low molecular weight biomolecules while rejecting large molecular weight proteins. In this second part, we expand the concept of controlled access polymer permeation adsorption (CAPPA) media by grafting polyethylene glycol (PEG) on a high capacity polysaccharide ion exchange (IEX) chromatographic resin where PEG acts as a semi-permeable barrier that preferentially allows the permeation of small molecules while rejecting large ones. The IEX resin bearing quaternary ammonium groups binds permeated biomolecules according to their ion exchange affinity while excluding large biomolecules by the PEG barrier and thus cannot compete for the binding sites. This new AdSEC media was used to study the retention of peptides and proteins covering a wide range of molecular weights from 1 to 150 kDa. The effect of protein molecular weight towards retention by ion exchange was performed using pure protein solutions. Recovery of insulin from insulin-spiked human serum and insulin-spiked human urine was evaluated under polymer controlled permeation conditions. The CAPPA media consisted of agarose beads modified with amino-PEG-methoxy and with trimethyl ammonium groups, having chloride capacities between 20 and 40 μeq/mL and were effective in rejecting high molecular weight proteins while allowing the preferential adsorption of small proteins and peptides.

► Polymer-ion exchange hybrid adsorbents with polyethylene glycol.
► Effective peptide separations from large proteins.
► Protein rejection from immobilized affinity ligands with permeating polymers.