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P. Kramberger, D. Glover, A. Štrancar

American Biotechnology Laboratory, 2003, 21(13), 27-8.

Research in molecular and cell biology has shown that macromolecules such as pDNA and virus vectors, together called nanoparticles, have the potential to assist in the prevention and treatment of some human diseases. The most important step in their production is the downstream processing (isolation and cleaning). Precipitation, ultrafiltration, and LC techniques are the most widely used for these purposes, but only LC can purify the product so that it is recognized as safe for therapeutic use. Apart from reduced yield, downstream processing can cause minor or even major modifications in the structure of the biomolecule. Usually these modifications do not affect the activity of the product, but may change its antigenicity. Minimizing these changes to maintain product safety is the main objective in the downstream processing of nanoparticles. For the efficient isolation of labile biomolecules, liquid chromatographic supports should provide fast and efficient separation in order to decrease biomolecule degradation; have high, preferably flow-unaffected capacity and resolution; and exhibit low backpressure. They should be stable, even if harsh conditions are applied during sanitation (e.g., 1 M NaOH), and should be easy to handle and operate. CIM® (Convection Interaction Media) monolithic chromatographic columns (BIA Separations, Ljubljana, Slovenia) meet all of these requirements. This article will discuss the columns and their use on human models and plant viruses and pDNA.

P. Svete, R. Milačič, B. Mitrović, B. Pihlar

The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001, Analyst, 2001, 126, 1346–1354

Analytical procedures were developed for the speciation of Zn using fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and convective interaction media (CIM) fast monolithic chromatography with FAAS and electrospray (ES)-MS-MS detection. The investigation was performed on synthetic solutions (2 µg cm-3 Zn) of hydrated Zn2+ species and Zn complexes with citrate, oxalate and EDTA (ligand-to-Zn molar ratio 100 : 1) over a pH range from 5.4 to 7.4. It was found that Zn interacts with various buffers and the careful adjustment of the pH with diluted solutions of KOH is, therefore, required. FPLC separations were carried out on a Mono Q HR 5/5 strong anion-exchange column, applying an aqueous 1 mol dm-3 NH4NO3 linear gradient elution over 15 min, at a flow rate of 1.0 cm3 min−1. The separated Zn species were determined in 1.0 cm3 eluate fractions “off line” by FAAS. Speciation of Zn was also performed on a weak anion-exchange CIM DEAE fast monolithic disc by applying an aqueous 0.4 mol dm-3 NH4NO3 linear gradient elution over 7.5 min, at a flow rate of 2.0 cm3 min−1 and determination of the separated Zn species in 1.0 cm3 eluate fractions “off line” by FAAS. Zn-binding ligands in separated fractions were also characterized by electrospray (ES)-MS-MS analysis. The CIM DEAE disc was found to be more efficient in the separation of negatively charged Zn complexes than the Mono Q FPLC column. On the CIM DEAE disc Zn–citrate was separated from both Zn–oxalate and from Zn–EDTA. All these species were also separated from hydrated Zn2+, which was eluted with the solvent front. This method has an advantage over commonly used analytical techniques for the speciation of Zn which are only able to distinguish between labile and strong Zn complexes. Good repeatability of the measurements (RSD 2–4%), tested for six parallel determinations (2 µg cm-3 Zn) of Zn–EDTA, Zn–citrate and Zn–oxalate was found at a pH of 6.4 on a CIM DAEA disc. The limit of detection (3s) for the separated Zn species was 10 ng cm-3. The proposed analytical procedure was applied to the speciation of Zn in aqueous soil extracts and industrial waste water from a lead and zinc mining area.

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