Recent advances in metal-organic frameworks for separation and enrichment in proteomics analysis

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been broadly applied to sample preparation which is an essential step in proteomics research. Their large surface area provides abundant binding sites, their specific pore structure can exclude large-sized proteins and allow small molecules to get inside their channels. Besides, the flexible functionalization gives infinite possibilities of MOFs applications in different fields including proteomics. In addition, the inherent metal centers and organic ligands endow them with strong affinities towards different target analytes. In this review, recent advances of MOFs in proteomics, containing separation of protein, enrichment of different types of peptides, glycan enrichment, etc., are extensively discussed. Besides, the MOFs as supports for enzyme immobilization and as matrixes and adsorbents for simultaneous separation and detection of peptides were also discussed detailedly. In the end, the outlook of synthesis and application of MOFs materials as well as existing challenges of MOFs in proteomics research are put forward. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.