Per-Erik Gustavsson

Superporous agarose, a new material for chromatography

This paper reports on a new type of spherical agarose chromatography particles characterized by two sets of pores, normal diffusion pores, characteristic of all agarose materials and very wide pores, so-called superpores or flow pores. These superpores allow part of the chromatographic flow to pass through each individual particle, which gives improved mass transfer, especially in situations where diffusion is the limiting factor for the overall performance of a chromatographic separation. The particles were prepared by a double emulsification procedure. Observations under a microscope and size-exclusion chromatography were used in order to demonstrate pore flow. The chromatographic behaviour of the new particles was as efficient as that of homogeneous particles which were several times smaller. The agarose particles were derivatized with polyethyleneimine and used for an ion-exchange chromatographic separation of three model proteins. As expected from a perfusion material, the superporous beads resolved the protein mixture more efficiently than homogeneous beads of the same size.

Pellicular expanded bed matrix suitable for high flow rates.

A new type of expanded bed matrix with a heavy core of stainless steel covered with an agarose layer was prepared. Two bead size fractions, the smaller one (32-75 microm diameter) having a single particle core and the larger (75-180 microm diameter) with an agglomerate of stainless steel particles constituting the core, were chosen for further characterisation. The dispersion behaviour was determined both in packed bed and expanded bed modes by the retention time distribution method (RTD) and compared with the Streamline matrix (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech). The comparison turned out in favour of the new matrix. Flow rates as high as 3000 cm/h were used with the larger fraction, giving stable expanded beds with good mass transfer properties. The matrices were mechanically stable without any tendency to crack or peal, even after prolonged use.

Continuous superporous agarose beds for chromatography and electrophoresis.

Continuous agarose beds (monoliths) were prepared by casting agarose emulsions designed to generate superporous agarose. The gel structures obtained were transected by superpores (diameters could be varied in the range 20-200 microns) through which liquids could be pumped. The pore structure and the basic properties of the continuous gel were investigated by microscopy and size exclusion chromatography. The chromatographic behaviour was approximately the same as for beds packed with homogeneous agarose beads with a particle diameter equivalent to the distance between the superpores. In one application, the superporous continuous agarose bed was derivatized with a NAD+ analogue and used in the affinity purification of bovine lactate dehydrogenase from a crude extract. In another application, a new superporous composite gel material was prepared by adding hydroxyapatite particles to the agarose phase. The composite bed was used to separate a protein mixture by hydroxyapatite chromatography. In a third application, the continuous superporous agarose material was used as an electrophoresis gel. Here, a water-immiscible organic liquid was pumped through the superpores to dissipate the joule heat evolved, thus allowing high current densities.

Continuous superporous agarose beds in radial flow columns

Continuous superporous agarose beds constitute a new support material for chromatography, biocatalysis and electrophoresis. The bed consists of a single piece of agarose gel, homogeneously transected by flow-carrying pores, which easily can be varied in the range of 10-100 microm. In this work, large diameter beds (60 mm) were prepared and used in specially designed radial flow columns. The basic chromatographic properties of the beds were investigated by size-exclusion chromatography experiments. In an affinity chromatography application one bed was derivatized with Cibacron Blue 3GA and used for the purification of lactate dehydrogenase from a crude bovine heart extract. In a biotransformation application one bed was provided with immobilized beta-galactosidase and used in the production of lactose-free milk.

Direct measurements of convective fluid velocities in superporous agarose beads

Superporous agarose beads contain two sets of pores, diffusion pores and so-called superpores or flow pores, in which the chromatographic flow can transport substances to the interior of each individual bead [Gustavsson and Larsson, J. Chromatogr. A 734 (1996) 231]. The existence of pore flow may be proven indirectly by the chromatographic performance of beads but it has never been directly demonstrated in a chromatographic bed. In this report, pore flow was directly measured by following the movement of micro-particles (dyed yeast cells) in a packed bed. The passage of the micro-particles through the superpores and through the interstitial pores was followed by a microscope/video camera focused on beads which were situated four layers from the glass wall. The video recordings were subsequently used to determine the convective fluid velocities in both the superpores and the interstitial pores. Experiments were carried out with three different bead size ranges, all of which contained superporous beads having an average superpore diameter of 30 microns. The superpore fluid velocity as % of interstitial fluid velocity was determined to be 2-5% for columns packed with 300-500-micron beads (3% average value), 6-12% for columns packed with 180-300-micron beads (7% average value) and 11-24% for columns packed with 106-180-micron beads (17% average value). These data were compared to and found to agree with theoretically calculated values based on the Kozeny-Carman equation. In order to observe and accurately measure fluid velocities within a chromatographic bed, special techniques were adopted. Also, precautions were made to ensure that the experimental conditions used were representative of normal chromatography runs.

Superporous agarose beads as a hydrophobic interaction chromatography support

Superporous agarose beads were used as a support for hydrophobic interaction chromatography. These beads have large connecting flow pores in addition to their normal diffusion pores. The flow pores, which are approximately one fifth of the overall diameter of the superporous agarose beads, were earlier shown to give the beads improved mass transfer properties relative to homogeneous agarose beads (Gustavsson and Larsson, J. Chromatogr. A, 734 (1996) 231-240). Superporous agarose beads and homogeneous agarose beads of the same particle size range (106-180 microns) were derivatized with phenyl groups. The properties of the superporous beads were then compared with the homogeneous beads in the separation of a mixture of three model proteins (ribonuclease A, lysozyme and bovine serum albumin) at various superficial flow velocities from 30 to 600 cm/h. The superporous beads gave satisfactory separation at flow velocities five times higher than was possible for homogeneous beads. The performance of the two types of beads was also compared in the purification of lactate dehydrogenase from a beef heart extract at a superficial flow velocity of 150 cm/h. The superporous beads performed considerably better, leading to twice the purification factor and twice the concentration of the desired product. The results were interpreted using the theoretical treatment given by Carta and Rodrigues (Carta and Rodrigues, Chem. Eng. Sci., 48 (1993) 3927).

Superporous agarose as an affinity chromatography support

Abstract Superporous agarose beads were used as an affinity support in column chromatography. These beads characteristically possess two sets of pores, normal diffusion pores and flow pores, so-called superpores. The superpores, whose diameter is a substantial fraction of the particle diameter (i.e. 1/3 to 1/10 of the particle diameter), allow part of the chromatographic flow to pass through each individual bead. Consequently, significant improvement in mass transfer is observed in superporous beads as compared with homogeneous beads, especially at high flow-rates [Gustavsson and Larsson, J. Chromatogr. A, 734 (1996) 231–240.] Superporous agarose beads and homogeneous agarose beads were each derivatized with two types of affinity ligands. A NAD + analogue was used for the purification of bovine lactate dehydrogenase and protein A was used for the adsorption of rabbit IgG. The performances of superporous beads and homogeneous beads were compared. Superporous bead columns derivatized with protein A and NAD + analogue could be operated 5 times and 3 times, respectively, as fast as corresponding homogeneous bead columns.

Improved Lectin-Mediated Immobilization of Human Red Blood Cells in Superporous Agarose Beads.

A new type of agarose bead, superporous agarose, was used as a gel support for immobilization of human red blood cells (RBCs) mediated by wheat germ lectin. The number of immobilized cells was similar to that obtained with commercial wheat germ lectin-agarose but the cell stability appeared to be superior. This allowed improved frontal affinity chromatographic analyses of cytochalasin B (CB)-binding to the glucose transporter GLUT1 which established a ratio of one CB-binding site per GLUT1 dimer for both plain RBCs or those treated with different poly amino acids. The measured dissociation constants, 70+/-14 nM for CB and 12+/-3 mM for glucose binding to GLUT1, are similar to those reported earlier.

Superporous agarose monoliths as mini-reactors in flow injection systems

A new type of agarose material, superporous agarose, was used as a support material in an analytical system designed for monitoring of bioprocesses with respect to metabolites and intracellular enzymes. The superporous agarose was used in the form of miniaturised gel plug columns (15×5.0 mM I.D. monolithic gel bed). The gel plugs were designed to have one set of very large pores (about 50 μm in diameter) through which cells, cell debris and other particulate contaminants from the bioreactor could easily pass. The material also had normal diffusion pores (300 Å) characteristic of all agarose materials, providing ample surface for covalent attachment of antibodies and enzymes used in the analytical sequence. The superporous agarose gel plug columns were characterised with respect to flow properties and handling of heavy cell loads as well as dispersion of injected samples (a Bodenstein number of about 40 was observed with acetone tracer at a flow rate of 1 ml min−1). To evaluate the practical performance of the superporous gel plug columns, two applications were studied: (1) on-line determination of glucose in cultivation broth (gel plug with immobilized glucose oxidase) and (2) immunochemical quantification of intracellular β-galactosidase in E. coli (gel plug with lysozyme to achieve cell lysis and gel plug with antibodies against β-galactosidase).

Direct measurement of intraparticle fluid velocity in superporous agarose beads

Superporous agarose beads contain both normal diffusion pores and special, very wide superpores through which part of the chromatographic flow is transported, a situation that may greatly improve the chromatographic performance. For the first time such pore flow was measured directly by following the movement of microparticles (dyed yeast cells) through superporous beads packed in a chromatographic bed. The passage of the microparticles through the superpores and through the interstitial pores was recorded by a microscope/video camera. The video recordings were subsequently used to determine flow paths as well as the convective fluid velocities in both the superpores and the interstitial pores. The superpore fluid velocity was found to be proportional to the ratio between the squares of the respective pore diameters, which is in agreement with the Kozeny–Carman equation. Values for two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional tortuosity of the flow paths were measured and calculated respectively. Copyright