Designing protein adsorptive materials by simultaneous radiation-induced grafting polymerization: A review

Abstract

Adsorptive chromatography is the gold-standard process for protein purification, where different chemical ligands are attached to polymers for a specific adsorption process. Affinity-based materials were developed early in the history of protein purification; they require high-cost chemicals and are labor-intensive, which significantly reduced their industrial applicability. Ionizing radiation is a cost-effective technology for polymer processing, and it shows a great potential to prepare functional materials. This article illustrates the preparation of protein adsorptive materials by radiation processing. It is shown diverse strategies based on simultaneous radiation-induced grafting polymerization (s-RIGP). Different natural and commercial materials such as polymeric membranes, sintered polymers, cryogels, polyurethane foams, and cellulose fibers are used as trunk materials for preparing alternative protein adsorptive materials by the s-RiPG. The grafted materials were analyzed from the perspective of protein purification for industrial purposes, where adsorption capacity, hydrodynamic and mechanical properties are studied to be used with complex biological samples. The scope of this review is about the chronologic investigations on s-RIGP technique applied to prepare materials useful for protein purification, developed in Argentina during the last twenty-five years.