# Monolithic Columns for the Isolation of Lectin: Principles, Advances and Prospects

## TL;DR

This paper reviews advances in cryogel monolithic columns for isolating biomolecules like lectins, highlighting their use in affinity chromatography across various industries.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of recent developments in supermacroporous monolithic columns for affinity chromatography, focusing on lectin isolation.

## Key findings

- Cryogels are effective for affinity chromatography due to their physical and chemical properties.
- Cryogels have diverse applications in food, pharmaceutical, and environmental industries.
- Lectins, which bind carbohydrates, can be efficiently isolated using cryogel-based chromatography.

## Abstract

Cryogels are materials formed from the polymerization
of monomers
under freezing conditions and are mainly used as monolithic chromatography
columns. Depending on the functionalization technique, they can be
used for ion exchange chromatography, immobilized metal ion affinity
chromatography (IMAC), hydrophobic interaction and more selective
affinity methods. Due to their physical, chemical and hydrodynamic
properties, cryogels find applications in various fields, such as
the food industry for purification processes, the pharmaceutical,
medical/biomedical and environmental industries, for the removal of
waste or toxic substances from the environment. Affinity chromatography
is a widely used method in liquid chromatography, and cryogels are
closely related to it. Therefore, the aim here is to describe and
analyze advances in the development of supermacroporous monolithic
columns and their main applications focused on affinity chromatography.
Thus, there is a vast field involving monolithic columns for application
in affinity chromatography aimed at isolating biomolecules, including
lectins. Lectins are glycoproteins with the ability to bind to carbohydrates
and perform various functions such as antibacterial, antitumor, immunomodulatory
and antiviral responses, among other applications. This review allows
us to emphasize the great advances in the development and application
of cryogels, materials that have wide applicability in various areas,
such as food, biological, medical, biomedical, pharmaceutical and
environmental. It is a product that is easy to synthesize and reproduce.