Crosslinked glass fiber affinity membrane chromatography and its application to fibronectin separation

Macroporous glass membranes were prepared from glass fiber filters via chemical crosslinking and modification, and used for the membrane affinity chromatography of fibronectin from human blood plasma. The filters were first treated with a piranha solution (a concentrated solution of H2SO4 + H2O2 in water), and then crosslinked with bifunctional organosilanes and modified to introduce amino or aniline moieties. Ligand immobilizations via diazotization and glutaraldehyde pathways were carried out and compared. Characterization of the membranes was performed using bovine serum albumin and trypsin as test ligands. By using a cartridge containing gelatin immobilized affinity membranes followed by another cartridge containing heparin immobilized membranes, fibronectin from human blood plasma could be separated.