| Abstract: | In this work, performance of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as a selective solid‐phase microextraction sorbent for the extraction and enrichment of tramadol in aqueous solution and rabbit brain tissue, is described. Binding properties of MIPs were studied in comparison with their nonimprinted polymer (NIP). Ten milligrams of the optimized MIP was then evaluated as a sorbent, for preconcentration, in molecularly imprinted solid‐phase microextraction (MISPME) of tramadol from aqueous solution and rabbit brain tissue. The analytical method was calibrated in the range of 0.004 ppm (4 ng mL−1) and 10 ppm (10 μg mL−1) in aqueous media and in the ranges of 0.01 and 10 ppm in rabbit brain tissue, respectively. The results indicated significantly higher binding affinity of MIPs to tramadol, in comparison with NIP. The MISPME procedure was developed and optimized with a recovery of 81.12–107.54% in aqueous solution and 76.16–91.20% in rabbit brain tissue. The inter‐ and intra‐day variation values were <8.24 and 5.06%, respectively. Finally the calibrated method was applied for determination of tramadol in real rabbit brain tissue samples after administration of a lethal dose. Our data demonstrated the potential of MISPME for rapid, sensitive and cost‐effective sample analysis. |
