HPLC Columns make protein separation and purification easy and efficient

Posted by samrojseo on April 27th, 2014

Proteins are large biomolecules found in the living body. There are several varieties of proteins in the body each with different shape, structure, amino acid and function.  Majority of the researches in the field of medicine and biotechnology are based on protein analysis because majority of the disease and ailments in the body are associated with malfunctioning of a protein, over/less production of protein or mutated form of a protein.  To analyze the target protein it is very essential to separate and purify it from the mixture of proteins from any organ, tissue or blood sample.  Chromatography is regarded as the most efficient method of protein separation and purification.

Chromatography are of different types like size-exclusion, ion exchange, reversed –phase and many more but all are performed in high performance liquid chromatography or HPLC column. It is an analysis method that yields high performance and high speed compared to traditional column chromatography. Every HPLC Colum consists of a stationary and mobile phase that plays an important part in separation of proteins on the basis of their properties and charge.

The column consists of a chromatographic packing material that is called the stationery phase to effect the protein separation.  In most of the columns silica or Polymer Beads are used as the packaging materials. The silica based columns are known to without stand high pressure and are compatible with most organic and aqueous mobile phase. On the other hand the polymer based columns are compatible with most mobile solvents and samples with pH of 1to 14. However, polymer based columns attend to have lower efficiency for small molecules and cannot without stand high pressure.

Once the packing material and the mobile phase are selected, the physical dimension of the columns is optimized for the separation.  HPLC instrumentation is sometimes modified for columns with small internal diameters.  Preferably, larger diameter column is used as it facilitates greater sample loading and lower back pressure.  HPLC columns are also used for protein purification from a separated sample. Purification is based on a specific property of the target protein.  Depending on the type of chromatography used, the protein purified with HPLC columns may be functional or non-functional.

Research is still going on increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these high performance liquid chromatography columns.  The HPLC columns are manufactured by some of the leading names in the industry like Biochrom Labs and others which provide the facility of online purchase as well. HPLC has become the most powerful tools in analytical chemistry today. It facilitates separation, purification, identification and quantification of a biomolecule present in any sample that can be dissolved in a liquid. Many industries make use of these high performance columns like pharmaceuticals, food, nutraceuticals, cosmetic, biotechnology, and cosmetic etc.

BioChrom Labs, Inc. providing valuable information of HPLC columns and their specifications. To visit their official website, please refer to www.biochrom.com to know more about Protein Purification, Reversed Phase and Polymer beads.