A Reusable Column Method Using Glycopolymer-Functionalized Resins for Capture–Detection of Proteins and Escherichia coli

The use of glycopolymer-functionalized resins (Resin–Glc), as a solid support, in column mode for bacterial/protein capture and quantification is explored. The Resin–Glc is synthesized from commercially available chloromethylated polystyrene resin and glycopolymer, and is characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and elemental analysis. The percentage of glycopolymer functionalized on Resin–Glc is accounted to be 5 wt%. The ability of Resin–Glc to selectively capture lectin, Concanavalin A, over Peanut Agglutinin, reversibly, is demonstrated for six cycles of experiments. The bacterial sequestration study using SYBR (Synergy Brands, Inc.) Green I tagged Escherichia coli/Staphylococcus aureus reveals the ability of Resin–Glc to selectively capture E. coli over S. aureus. The quantification of captured cells in the column is carried out by enzymatic colorimetric assay using methylumbelliferyl glucuronide as the substrate. The E. coli capture studies reveal a consistent capture efficiency of 10⁵ CFU (Colony Forming Units) g⁻¹ over six cycles. Studies with spiked tap water samples show satisfactory results for E. coli cell densities ranging from 10² to 10⁷ CFU mL⁻¹. The method portrayed can serve as a basis for the development of a reusable solid support in capture and detection of proteins and bacteria.