Control of selectivity via nanochemistry: monolithic capillary column containing hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for separation of proteins and enrichment of phosphopeptides.

New monolithic capillary columns with embedded commercial hydroxyapatite nanoparticles have been developed and used for protein separation and selective enrichment of phosphopeptides. The rod-shaped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were incorporated into the poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolith by simply admixing them in the polymerization mixture followed by in situ polymerization. The effect of percentages of monomers and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in the polymerization mixture on the performance of the monolithic column was explored in detail. We found that the loading capacity of the monolith is on par with other hydroxyapatite separation media. However, the speed at which these columns can be used is higher due to the fast mass transport. The function of the monolithic columns was demonstrated with the separations of a model mixture of proteins including ovalbumin, myoglobin, lysozyme, and cytochrome c as well as a monoclonal antibody and its aggregates with protein A. Selective enrichment and MALDI/MS characterization of phosphopeptides fished-out from complex peptide mixtures of ovalbumin, α-casein, and β-casein digests were also achieved using the hydroxyapatite monolith.