Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) based magnetic nanoparticles for lysozyme purification from chicken egg white

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Lysozyme is a valuable enzyme found in egg white with applications in pharmaceuticals and food industries.
• Efficient and selective purification methods are crucial for obtaining high-purity lysozyme.
• Magnetic nanoparticles offer advantages in separation and purification processes due to their superparamagnetic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-(L)-tryptophan) [mPHEMATrp] magnetic nanoparticles.
• To evaluate the efficacy of these nanoparticles for the purification of lysozyme from chicken egg white.

Main Methods:

• mPHEMATrp magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized using surfactant-free emulsion polymerization.
• Nanoparticle characterization included size determination (38 nm), specific surface area (896 m²/g), and elemental analysis (5.7–48.3 µmol MATrp/g).
• Lysozyme adsorption capacity and reusability were assessed.

Main Results:

• The synthesized mPHEMATrp nanoparticles exhibited a high specific surface area and elemental composition suitable for protein binding.
• The maximum lysozyme adsorption capacity reached 376.1 mg/g.
• The nanoparticles maintained significant lysozyme adsorption capacity over five reuse cycles.

Conclusions:

• mPHEMATrp magnetic nanoparticles are a promising material for the selective and efficient purification of lysozyme.
• The developed method offers a reusable and effective approach for protein purification from complex biological matrices like egg white.