A Ti/Nb-functionalized COF material based on IMAC strategy for efficient separation of phosphopeptides and phosphorylated exosomes

In this work, on the basis of an immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography enrichment strategy, a new kind of covalent organic framework (COF) material for enrichment of phosphorylated peptides and exosomes was successfully prepared in a facile method, and Ti 4+ and Nb 5+ were used as dual-functional ions (denoted as COF-S–S-COOH-Ti 4+ /Nb 5+ ). With the advantage of unbiased enrichment towards phosphopeptides, COF-S–S-COOH-Ti 4+ /Nb 5+ shows ultra-high selectivity (maximum molar ratio of β -casein: BSA is 1:20,000) and low limit of detection (0.2 fmol). In addition, the material has an excellent phosphopeptide loading capacity (100 μg/mg) and reusability (at least seven times). Furthermore, applying the material to the actual sample, 4 phosphopeptides were selectively extracted from the serum of renal carcinoma patients. At the same time, exosomes with an intact structure in the serum of renal carcinoma patients were successfully isolated rapidly using this strategy. All experiments have shown that COF-S–S-COOH-Ti 4+ /Nb 5+ exhibits exciting potential in practical applications. Graphical abstract