Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Solid Phase Extraction

The combination of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and solid phase extraction (SPE) is reviewed. MIPs, which have high selectivity and affinity for a predetermined molecule (template), have been used as sorbents for SPE to selectively isolate analytes from biological, pharmaceutical, and environmental samples. Solid phase extraction with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP–SPE) is a promising technique which allows specific analytes to be selectively extracted from complex matrices. This survey summarizes the characteristics, development and application of MIP–SPE in recent years. Existed problems and the future direction of MIP–SPE are also discussed.     

Synthetic approaches to parabens molecularly imprinted polymers and their applications to the solid-phase extraction of river water samples

In this paper we describe the synthesis, characterisation and use of two distinct molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) prepared using esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) as templates: one MIP was synthesised by precipitation polymerisation using a semi-covalent molecularly imprinting strategy with methyl paraben as the template/target (MIP 1); the second MIP was prepared in monolithic form through a conventional non-covalent molecular imprinting strategy, with butyl paraben as the template (MIP 2). MIP 1 recognized methyl paraben, showed cross-selectivity for other parabens analytes used in the study and higher affinity towards these compounds than did a non-imprinted control polymer. Similarly, MIP 2 demonstrated higher affinity towards paraben analytes than a non-imprinted control polymer.For the analysis of environmental water samples, a solid-phase extraction (SPE) protocol was developed using MIP 2 as sorbent, and results were compared to a SPE using a commercial sorbent (Oasis HLB). With MIP 2 as sorbent and butyl paraben as target, when percolating 500 mL of river water spiked at 1 μg L⁻¹ through the SPE cartridge, and using 1 mL of isopropanol as cleaning solvent, a higher recovery of butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (butyl paraben) and a cleaner chromatogram where achievable when using the MIP compared to the commercial sorbent.     

The application of solid phase extraction to the analysis of tobacco-specific nitrosamines.

A new isolation and separation method has been developed for the alkaloid-related nitrosamines in tobacco, called tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA). The improved isolation procedure involves the extraction by sonication of TSNA from cured tobacco with toluene and an aqueous citrate buffer solution, while purification is achieved by solid phase extraction on small silica cartridges. Interfering extract materials are eluted from the silica cartridges with the toluene and a chloroform-methylene chloride solvent, while subsequent elution with chloroform yields the TSNA in a purified fraction. Gas chromatographic analyses on an SE-54-coated glass capillary column and detection by a nitrogen-phosphorous detector produce very good data on the four TSNAs, which include N-nitrosanatabine (NATB), N-nitrosoanabasine (NAB), 4-(N-methyl-N-nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (called NNK), and N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN). The method is shown to be quantitative, reproducible, and applicable to the determination of TSNA in various tobacco samples, such as stems and lamina of cured tobacco leaves, as well as to smokeless tobacco.     

Molecularly imprinted polymers for bisphenol A for HPLC and SPE from water and milk

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for bisphenol A (BPA) were prepared by two synthetic routes: semi-covalent and noncovalent methodology. The molecular imprinting effect was evaluated using the polymers in HPLC and SPE. Polymers prepared with noncovalent mode were proven more effective. These polymers were applied in SPE facilitating selective retention of BPA from bottled water and milk. The developed sample preparation was simple and efficient comprising only dilution of milk and MISPE prior to LC-MS analysis. Overall MISPE enhanced sample clean-up. Compared with control nonimprinted polymers and conventional C18 SPE cartridges, the MIPs exhibited selective analyte recognition. The method provided quantitative BPA recoveries, very good reproducibility (% RSDs lower than 7%), and low LOD (0.2 ng/g). MIP interacts similarly with deuterated BPA allowing its use as internal standard in LC-MS. The most critical parameters of MISPE were the organic content in loading-washing medium and the washing volume. Low flow rates in the elution step enhanced extraction recovery. Important advantages of the MIP were: the high breakthrough volumes (> 500 mL of water), high mass capacity (> 10 ng/mg of MIP sorbent), good linearity, and good stability in performance for over 35 cycles of use.     

Role of molecularly imprinted polymers for selective determination of environmental pollutants--a review

The molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic polymers possessing specific cavities designed for a target molecule. By a mechanism of molecular recognition, the MIPs are used as selective tools for the development of various analytical techniques such as liquid chromatography, capillary electrochromatography, solid-phase extraction (SPE), binding assays and biosensors. This review describes the application of MIPs to the determination of environmental pollutants in these different analytical approaches with a special emphasis on their potential as selective SPE sorbent for the selective extraction of target analytes from complex matrices.     

分子烙印固相萃取技术在环境样品分析中的应用

分子烙印固相萃取技术克服了传统固相萃取技术选择性差的缺陷,实现了对复杂样品中特定分析对象或杂质的选择性提取,从而大大提高了分析测试的精度和准确性,并降低了检测限。该文对分子烙印聚合物(MIPs)作为固相萃取填料从复杂的环境样品中分离、富集和纯化微量及痕量的目标化合物进行了综述,涉及的目标化合物包括杀虫剂、除草剂、兽药等各类农药残留以及重金属离子和某些生物毒素等。     

Synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers for the application of selective clean-up vinblastine from Catharanthus roseus extract

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic tailor-made polymers with high selectivity towards a particular substance (template). An MIP using vinblastine (VLB) as the template molecule was synthesized and characterized. The presence of monomer-template complexes in a non-covalent way was confirmed by UV-vis spectrometry analysis. The polymerization was performed using methacrylic acid (MAA) as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross-linking agent, and toluene as the porogenic solvent by a thermo-polymerization method. The characterization of the obtained MIP was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. It was observed that the morphology of the MIP was more porous and rough, and the surface area had a significant increase compared with that of the non-imprinted polymer (NIP). This MIP was used as the sorbents of solid-phase extraction (SPE) to assess the selectivity of the MIP after optimization of the SPE protocol. VLB was specifically adsorbed on the MIP cartridge, while to vincristine (VCR), the chemical analog of VLB, almost no selective binding appeared. On the basis of the results, Catharanthus roseus extract was applied to the MIP cartridge for investigating its capability to extract VLB from the plant extract, and the capacity of the MIP cartridge was also evaluated. It was shown that the MIP could effectively enrich VLB from C. roseus extract and the recovery amounted to 93.8%. The solvents dissolving the samples had significant influence on the capacity of the MIP cartridge; it was 750 μg/g in toluene, 625 μg/g in chloroform, and 250 μg/g in methanol.     

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization isotope dilution mass spectrometry analysis of paraquat and diquat using conventional and multilayer solid-phase extraction cartridges

The performance of alkyl-silica sorbent packed solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges and a mixed-mode, polymeric sorbent packed SPE cartridge (resin SPE cartridge) were evaluated for the sample preparation of paraquat and diquat in environmental water and vegetation matrices. Also the recoveries of the native and 2H-labeled paraquat and diquat were correlated to validate that the 2H-labeled species can be used for the isotopic dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) analysis of paraquat and diquat. The results show that the extraction efficiency of alkyl-silica SPE is dependent on the carbon loading of the sorbent and deteriorates with an increasing sample pH. The resin SPE cartridge required no pH adjustment and showed excellent correlation between the native and 2H-labeled species, therefore, allowing us to develop the first liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization IDMS analytical method for the analysis of paraquat and diquat in environmental water and vegetation matrices. Method detection limits derived using standard EPA protocol were 0.2 and 0.1 microg/l for paraquat and diquat in water matrices, and 0.02 and 0.01 microg/g in vegetation matrices, respectively.     

Selective solid-phase extraction of amoxicillin and cephalexin from urine samples using a molecularly imprinted polymer

In this paper we describe, for the first time, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX), synthesised by a noncovalent molecular imprinting approach and used to extract AMX selectively from urine samples. The MIP was applied as a molecularly selective sorbent in molecularly imprinted SPE (MISPE) in an off-line mode, where it showed useful cross-selectivity for a structurally related antibiotic, cephalexin (CPX). By using a MISPE protocol, the MIP was able to selectively extract both AMX and CFX from 5 mL of water spiked with 10 mg/L with recoveries of 75 and 78% for AMX and CFX, respectively. When applied to real samples (urine) at clinically relevant concentrations, recoveries from 2 mL of human urine spiked with 20 mg/L decreased slightly to 65 and 63% for AMX and CFX, respectively. To demonstrate further the selectivity of the MIP obtained, a comparison with commercially available SPE cartridges was performed. Improvements in the retention of both AMX and CFX on the MIP were obtained relative to the commercially available cartridges, and the MISPE extracts were considerably cleaner, due to molecularly selective analyte binding by the MIP.     

Molecularly imprinted polymers: synthetic receptors in bioanalysis

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made synthetic materials possessing specific cavities designed for a target molecule. Since they recognise their target analyte with affinities and selectivities comparable to those of antibody–antigen, enzyme–substrate and ligand–receptor interactions, they are often referred to as synthetic receptors or plastic antibodies. In this review, we describe the great potential and recent developments of MIPs in affinity separations, with emphasis on their application to the solid-phase extraction (SPE) of analytes from complex matrices. Research efforts made in this field to obtain water-compatible polymers for their applicability in aqueous environments are described. We particularly discuss problems encountered in the use of MIPs in SPE and the attempts carried out to improve their efficiency.     

Semi-automated, solid-phase extraction procedure for liquid chromatographic determination of papaverine, diltiazem, desipramine and nicardipine in urine

Summary A solid-phase extraction (SPE) method for sample clean-up followed by a reversed-phase HPLC procedure is reported for the assay of papaverine, diltiazem, desipramine and nicardipine in urine. Disposable extraction cartridges (DECs) filled with C18, C8, C2, CH and PH silica-bonded phases were used. The effect on recovery of sample pH, composition of washing and elution solvents and nature of SPE cartridge were evaluated. The selectivity of SPE was examined using spiked urine samples and the PH cartridge gave rise to the cleanest extracts. Phenyl cartridges were conditioned with methanol and acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer. Urine sample was buffered and then applied to the DEC. The washing step was with acetone-water and subsequently with methanol-acetate buffer. The analytes were eluted with methanol-acetate buffer. The extract was evaporated to dryness, reconstituted in mobile phase, and chromatographed on a reversed-phase C18 column with UV detection at 212 nm. Recoveries of the tested compounds from spiked urine samples using the PH cartridge were in all cases>80%. The within-day and between-day repeatabilities were<5% and 9%, respectively.     

Determination of four tobacco-specific nitrosamines in mainstream cigarette smoke by gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry

A specific and sensitive method was developed and validated to quantitatively analyze four tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) in the particulate phase of mainstream cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke particulate matter was collected according to ISO 4387. The particulate matter was extracted with acetic ether, cleaned up with a Supelclean ENVI-Carb silod-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge, concentrated under the protection of nitrogen and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC)/ion trap mass spectrometry (MS) with a very-low-flow-loss column (VF-17 MS) in MS(n) mode using N-nitrosopentyl-3-picolylamine (NNPA) as an internal standard. TSNAs were identified by chromatographic retention time, matching the spectra of the standards and the samples and the consistency of the ratio of the abundance of the ions detected in the standards and the samples. Limits of detection of each TSNA varied from 0.01 to 0.06 ng/cig. A linear calibration range for this method is large enough to measure TSNA levels in cigarette smoke. The recovery of each TSNA was from 91.5 to 102.7%. The method achieved excellent reproducibility (RSD: 1.8-4.8% for intra-assay, 3.4-7.1% for inter-assay). It also shows no evidence of artifact formation. This method is very suitable for the routine detection of TSNAs in mainstream cigarette smoke.     

分子印迹聚合物选择性富集长春碱的研究

分子印迹聚合物(MIPs)是近年来发展起来的一种对特定分子(模板分子)具有高度选择性的合成高分子材料.本文以长春碱(VLB)为模板分子,以甲基丙烯酸(MAA)为功能单体、乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯(EGDMA)为交联剂,在偶氮二异丁腈(AIBN)的引发下制备了长春碱印迹聚合物(VLB-MIP).采用紫外光谱对VLB与MAA之间形成的模板-功能单体复合物进行了分析,通过扫描电镜(SEM)对制备的VLB-MIP的表面形态进行了表征,并用BET法对MIP表面的孔径进行了测定.结果表明,VLB-MIP与未加模板分子制备的非印迹聚合物(NIP)相比表面多孔、粗糙,比表面积显著增加.以VLB-MIP作为固相萃取(SPE)的吸附剂,对VLB-MIP的选择性进行了评价,VLB-MIP能特异性地吸附VLB,而对VLB的结构类似物长春新碱(VCR)却没有表现出明显的吸附行为.将长春花提取物上样于填充VLB-MIP的SPE柱上,在最优实验条件下,长春花提取物中的VLB能被高效富集.此外,上样溶剂对MIP柱的吸附容量有影响,长春花提取物溶于非极性溶剂甲苯时,MIP的吸附容量最大为750μg/g,其次是氯仿吸附容量为625μg/g,最小的是甲醇为250μg/g.     

Water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers for efficient direct injection on-line solid-phase extraction of ropivacaine and bupivacaine from human plasma

Two novel molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) selected from a combinatorial library of bupivacaine imprinted polymers were used for selective on-line solid-phase extraction of bupivacaine and ropivacaine from human plasma. The MIPs were prepared using methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linking monomer and in addition hydroxyethylmethacrylate to render the polymer surface hydrophilic. The novel MIPs showed high selectivity for the analytes and required fewer and lower concentrations of additives to suppress non-specific adsorption compared with a conventional MIP. This enabled the development of an on-line system for direct extraction of buffered plasma. Selective extraction was achieved without the use of time-consuming solvent switch steps, and transfer of the analytes from the MIP column to the analytical column was carried out under aqueous conditions fully compatible with reversed-phase LC gradient separation of analyte and internal standard. The MIPs showed excellent aqueous compatibility and yielded extractions with acceptable recovery and high selectivity.     

Molecularly imprinted polymer with high-fidelity binding sites for the selective extraction of barbiturates from human urine

In this paper we describe the synthesis of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) by precipitation polymerisation, with barbital as the template molecule, and the application of the barbital MIP as a molecularly selective sorbent in the solid-phase extraction (SPE) of barbiturates from human urine samples. The MIP was synthesised by precipitation polymerisation using 2,6-bis-acrylamidopyridine as the functional monomer and DVB-80 as the cross-linking agent. The spherical MIP particles produced were 4.2 ± 0.4 μm in diameter; a non-imprinted control polymer (NIP) in bead form was 4.8 ± 0.4 μm (mean±standard deviation) in diameter. The particles were packed into a solid-phase extraction cartridge and employed as a novel sorbent in a molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) protocol. The MIP showed high selectivity for the template molecule, barbital, a feature which can be ascribed to the high-fidelity binding sites present in the MIP which arose from the use of 2,6-bis-acrylamidopyridine as the functional monomer. However, the MIP also displayed useful cross-selectivity for other barbiturates besides barbital. For real samples, the MIP was applied for the extraction of four barbiturates from human urine. However, due to the high urea concentration in this sample which interfere the proper interaction of barbiturates onto the MIP, a tandem system using a commercially available sorbent was developed.     

Synthesis by precipitation polymerisation of molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres for the selective extraction of carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine from human urine

Two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), in the physical form of well-defined polymer microspheres, were synthesised via precipitation polymerisation (PP) using an antiepileptic drug, carbamazepine (CBZ), as template molecule, methacrylic acid as functional monomer and either divinylbenzene 80 (DVB-80) or a mixture of DVB-80 and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinking agents. The MIP obtained using DVB-80 alone as crosslinking agent (MIP A) had a narrow particle size distribution (9.5 ± 0.5 μm) and a well-developed permanent pore structure (specific surface area in the dry state = 758 m² g⁻¹), whereas when a mixture of DVB-80 and EGDMA (MIP B) were used as crosslinking agents, the polymer obtained had a broader particle size distribution (6.4 ± 1.8 μm) and a relatively low specific surface area (23 m² g⁻¹). The molecular recognition character of both polymers was evaluated by means of LC and then a molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) protocol; CBZ was recognised by both polymers, and useful cross-selectivity for oxcarbazepine (OCBZ), which is the main metabolite of CBZ, also observed. In a detailed bioanalytical study, MIP A was selected in preference to MIP B since MIP A enabled a high volume of sample to be extracted such that lower limits of detection were achievable using this polymer. High recoveries of CBZ and OCBZ were obtained in a MISPE protocol when 50 mL of human urine spiked at 0.2 mg L⁻¹ were percolated through MIP A (90% and 83%, respectively).     

Comparison of molecularly imprinted,mixed-mode and hydrophilic balance sorbents performance in the solid-phase extraction of amphetamine drugs from wastewater samples for liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry determination

Recent studies have shown that amphetamines and other drugs of abuse residues occur in wastewater. Consequently, several methods have been developed for their determination by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). However, a major drawback of these methods is the lack of selectivity during SPE that results in reduced sensitivity, due to matrix effects, and in some cases in low precision and poor accuracy. In order to tackle this problem, three different SPE alternatives have been evaluated in this work for the determination of five amphetamines: common hydrophilic balance (Oasis HLB), mixed-mode (Oasis MCX) and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) sorbents. Among them, Oasis HLB showed the worst performance, as three amphetamines (MDA, MDMA and MDEA) could not be determined because of interfering signals in the LC–MS/MS chromatogram, and amphetamine recoveries could not be corrected by the use of the deuterated analogue internal standard. Oasis MCX permitted the determination of all target analytes, but with still strong signal suppression: ca. 70% signal drop with wastewater samples, which could in this case be corrected by the internal standards providing acceptable trueness (overall recoveries: 101–137%), precision (RSD: 2.0–12%) and limits of detection (LOD: 1.5–4.4 ng/L). Alternatively, MIPs rendered cleaner extracts with less matrix effects (ca. 30% signal drop), and thus lower LODs (0.5–2.7 ng/L) and even better trueness (91–114% overall recovery) and precision (1.5–4.4%RSD). The final application of the method with MIP cartridges showed the presence of MDA and MDMA in the seven analysed wastewaters at the 4–20 ng/L level.     

Development of a molecularly imprinted polymer for prometryne clean‐up in the environment

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are prepared on the surface of modified silica gel using prometryne as a template, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a crosslinker, and 2,2‐azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator. The structure of the MIPs was characterized using SEM and FTIR spectroscopy. The selectivity of the MIPs for the template molecule prometryne was proven by adsorption experiments. Highly selective SPE cartridges of MIP particles were developed and an optimized prometryne procedure was developed for the enrichment and clean‐up of prometryne residues in water, soil, and wheat samples. The concentrations of prometryne in the samples were analyzed by HPLC. The average recoveries of prometryne spiked for water at 0.05～0.8 mg/L were 101.47–106.65% and the RSD was 2.63–4.71%. The average recoveries of prometryne spiked for soil at 0.05～0.8 mg/L were 87.34–94.91% with the RSD being 2.77–8.41%. The average recoveries of prometryne spiked for wheat plant at 0.2～2.0 mg/kg were 91.04–97.76% with the RSD being 6.53–10.69%. The method developed here can be regenerated and repeatedly used more than two dozen times.     

Evaluation of two molecularly imprinted polymers for the solid‐phase extraction of natural,synthetic and mycoestrogens from environmental water samples before liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry

In this work, we have compared the selectivity of two commercial molecularly imprinted polymers (AFFINIMIP®SPE Estrogens and AFFINIMIP®SPE Zearalenone) for the extraction of 12 estrogenic compounds of interest (i.e. 17α‐estradiol, 17β‐estradiol, estrone, hexestrol, 17α‐ethynylestradiol, diethylstibestrol, dienestrol, zearalenone, α‐zearalanol, β‐zearalanol, α‐zearalenol and β‐zearalenol) from different water samples. High‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization was used for their determination. Results showed that although both molecularly imprinted polymeric cartridges were specifically designed for different groups of analytes (natural estrogens like estradiol in the first case and zearalenone derivatives in the second) they nearly have the same extraction performance (with recovery values in the range 65–101%) for the same analytes in Milli‐Q water because of the cross‐reactivity of the polymer. However, when more complex water samples were analyzed, it was clear that the behavior was different and that the AFFINIMIP®SPE Estrogens showed less cross‐reactivity than the other cartridge. Validation of the proposed methodology with both cartridges revealed that the extraction was reproducible and that the final limits of detection of the proposed method were in the low ng/L range.     

Synthesis and chromatographic evaluation of molecularly imprinted polymers prepared by the substructure approach for the class-selective recognition of glucuronides

Two series of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the class-selective recognition of glucuronides have been prepared by using lipophilic substructures of the target analyte as template molecule and potent host monomers against oxyanions, that are expected to establish a strong stoichiometric interaction with the single carboxylic group of the template. The polymers were tested as stationary phases in liquid chromatography for specific recognition. A preliminary investigation of the imprinting properties of eleven MIPs was carried out, by comparing the retention time of the template and of structurally related compounds on the MIP column with that on the corresponding non-imprinted polymer (NIP). The two polymers showing the best performance were selected to further test cotinine, mycophenolic acid, testosterone and their respective glucuronides as model compounds. The high specificity obtained against glucuronides and the different chemical structure of the parent drug make the two MIPs class-selective imprinted receptors, also suitable for SPE application.