BACKGROUNDA series of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) hybrid materials resulting from the hybridization of MOFs and attapulgite were constructed using a facile reflux route under relatively low reaction temperature, and characterized by FTIR spectra, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, XRD and TGA. For the first time, MOFs hybridizing with attapulgite were employed to enrich peptides with high adsorption selectivity for glutathione reduced on the basis of three selected model peptides (glutathione reduced, bradykinin and insulin from bovine pancreas) due to pore structure, change in microenvironment and composition of the prepared MOFs materials, and molecular size of the selected peptides. RESULTSThe adsorption capacities of MOFs materials prepared at three different temperatures for glutathione reduced were 66.80, 88.91 and 79.55 mg g(-1) in turn, while those of MOFs hybridization materials greatly enhanced, were 83.49, 99.64 and 97.47 mg g(-1), respectively. The prepared MOFs materials exhibited excellent reusability. The results of FTIR spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that hydrogen bonding, the sieving effect, p- and the coordination effect were involved in the adsorption process. CONCLUSIONSThe excellent adsorption property and selectivity make the present materials highly promising and potentially useful in practical application as adsorbents for peptides with small molecular size such as glutathione reduced. (c) 2018 Society of Chemical Industry