A novel magnetic adsorbent was prepared by covalently binding lysine onto the surface of nanoparticles via a carbodiimide coupling method. The adsorption of plasminogen onto surface-modified magnetic nanoparticles from human plasma was studied in a batch system. Surface modifications of particles were characterized using Fourier-transformed infrared spectra, transmission electron micrography, and ninhydrin assay. The maximum weight ratio of lysine to the superparamagnetic particles was 30 mu mol/mg of particles. Effects of pH and temperature on plasminogen adsorption by the magnetic particles were evaluated. Desorption of plasminogen from the magnetic adsorbent was investigated using aminocaproic acid, a lysine analogue. Using a buffer composed by aminocaproic acid or lysine, plasminogen on the magnetic nanoparticles could be eluted. Overall, the results demonstrated that the lysine-coated magnetic adsorbent increased the efficiency and speed of recovery of plasminogen from human plasma. (C) 2011, The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. All rights reserved.