Heavy metal contamination of water by cadmium (Cd2+) and silver (Ag+) represents a significant environmental concern due to their toxicity and persistence. In this study, peptide-functionalized resins were evaluated as bio-inspired adsorbent materials for metal removal from aqueous solutions. Glycine-based and histidine-containing peptide sequences were synthesized via solid-phase peptide synthesis and immobilized onto Wang and Rink amide resins, with and without N-terminal acetylation. Adsorption capacity (Q, mg g−1) was determined for each material. The results showed that adsorption performance strongly depends on both peptide structure and metal type. Higher adsorption capacities were consistently observed for Cd2+ (up to 7.9 mg g−1) compared to Ag+ (up to 2.4 mg g−1). Interestingly, histidine-containing resins exhibited superior performance, likely due to the presence of imidazole groups that enhance metal coordination. In contrast, the influence of resin type and N-terminal acetylation was less consistent, suggesting a secondary role of these factors. Overall, the findings provide an initial screening or proof-of-concept for peptide-functionalized resins and highlight the potential of these peptidyl resins as effective adsorbent materials for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous environments.
Costa et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: