Layer by layer coating of NH2-silicate/polycarboxylic acid polymer saturated by Ni2+ onto the super magnetic NiFe2O4 nanoparticles for sensitive and bio-valuable separation of His-tagged proteins

State of the art on the separation and purification of proteins by magnetic nanoparticles

The need for excellent, affordable, rapid, reusable and biocompatible protein purification techniques is justified based on the roles of proteins as key biomacromolecules. Magnetic nanomaterials nowadays have become the subject of discussion in proteomics, drug delivery, and gene sensing due to their various abilities including rapid separation, superparamagnetism, and biocompatibility. These nanomaterials also referred to as magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) serve as excellent options for traditional protein separation and analytical methods because they have a larger surface area per volume. From ionic metals to carbon-based materials, MNPs are easily functionalized by modifying their surface to precisely recognize and bind proteins. This review excavates state-of-the-art MNPs and their functionalizing agents, as efficient protein separation and purification techniques, including ionic metals, polymers, biomolecules, antibodies, and graphene. The MNPs could be reused and efficaciously manipulated with these nanomaterials leading to highly improved efficiency, adsorption, desorption, and purity rate. We also discuss the binding and selectivity parameters of the MNPs, as well as their future outlook. It is concluded that parameters like charge, size, core-shell, lipophilicity, lipophobicity, and surface energy of the MNPs are crucial when considering protein selectivity, chelation, separation, and purity.

Magnetic Nanoparticles for Protein Separation and Purification

Proteins are essential for various functions such as brain activity and muscle contraction in humans. Even though food is a source of proteins, the bioavailability of proteins in most foods is usually limited due to matrix interaction with other biomolecules. Thus, it is essential to extract these proteins and provide them as a nutraceutical supplement to maintain protein levels and avoid protein deficiency. Hence, protein purification and extraction from natural sources are highly significant in biomedical applications. Chromatography, crude mechanical disruption, use of extractive chemicals, and electrophoresis are some of the methods applied to isolate specific proteins. Even though these methods possess several advantages, they are unable to extract specific proteins with high purity. A suitable alternative is the use of nanoparticles, which can be beneficial in protein purification and extraction. Notably, magnetic iron and iron-based nanoparticles have been employed in protein extraction processes and can be reused via demagnetization due to their magnetic property, smaller size, morphology, high surface-to-volume ratio, and surface charge-mediated property. This chapter is a summary of various magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) that can be used for the biomolecular separation of proteins.