Application of non-specific fluorescent dyes for monitoring enantio-selective ligand binding to molecularly imprinted polymers

The displacement of non-specific dyes from molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) chromatographic stationary phases has been used for the detection and quantification of ligand-polymer binding events. A blank polymer and an L-phenylalaninamide-imprinted polymer were prepared using methacrylic acid as the functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a crosslinker. The MIP is first loaded with dye, and a solution of the dye in the eluent is passed through the MIP. If analyte is injected into the dye solution in the eluent, part of the dye is competitively replaced by the analyte from the MIP. Specifically, the competitive displacement of rhodamine B by amino acids and phenylalaninamide (Phe-NH₂), respectively, has been studied under polar and hydrophobic elution conditions. Enantioselective binding of Phe and Phe-NH₂ to the imprinted polymer was shown to occur in the micromolar concentration range. It is proposed that the displacement of non-specific dyes from MIPs be used for the development of multisensors based upon these highly specific and stable materials, which provide promising alternatives to the use of biological macromolecules in sensor technology. Received: 24 November 1998 / Revised: 29 January 1999 / Accepted: 2 February 1999     

Preparation of highly selective solid-phase extractants for Cibacron reactive dyes using molecularly imprinted polymers

Selective polymeric extractants were prepared for preconcentration of Cibacron reactive red dye, a dye that is often applied with Cibacron reactive blue and Cibacron reactive yellow for dyeing of fabrics. The best extractant was fabricated (in chloroform) using methacrylic acid (as monomer), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (as crosslinker), AIBN (as initiator for polymerization), and red dye as template molecule, with a molar stoichiometric ratio of 8.0:40.0:2.5:0.63, respectively. The structure of the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was robust, and resisted dissolution up to 260 °C. Compared with the un-imprinted polymer, the imprinted product has a large specific surface area which improved its adsorption capacity. The effect of imprinting was obvious from the adsorption capacity measured at pH 4 for red dye (the imprinted molecule), which was increased from 24.0 to 79.3 mg g⁻¹ after imprinting. Equilibrium adsorption studies revealed that the dye-imprinted-polymer enables efficient extraction of red dye even in the presence of blue and yellow dyes which have similar chemical natures to the red dye. The selectivity coefficients S _{red dye/dye}, were 13.9 and 17.1 relative to the yellow and blue dyes, respectively. The MIP was found to be effective for red dye preconcentration, with a preconcentration factor of 100, from tap water and treated textile wastewater. The factors affecting extraction of red dye by the MIP were studied and optimized. Under the optimized extraction conditions, red dye was selectively quantified in the presence of other competing dyes at a concentration of 20 μg L⁻¹ from different water systems with satisfactory recoveries (91–95%) and RSD values (∼5.0%).     

Selective Removal of the Emerging Dye Basic Blue 3 via Molecularly Imprinting Technique

A molecularly imprinting polymer (MIP) was synthesized for Basic Blue 3 dye and applied to wastewater for the adsorption of a target template. The MIPs were synthesized by bulk polymerization using methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). Basic Blue 3 dye (BB-3), 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and methanol were used as a functional monomer, cross linker, template, initiator and porogenic solvent, respectively, while non-imprinting polymers (NIP) were synthesized by the same procedure but without template molecules. The contact time was 25 min for the adsorption of BB-3 dye from 10 mL of spiked solution using 25 mg polymer. The adsorption of dye (BB-3) on the MIP followed the pseudo-second order kinetic (k₂ = 0.0079 mg·g⁻¹·min⁻¹), and it was according to the Langmuir isotherm, with maximum adsorption capacities of 78.13, 85.4 and 99.0 mg·g⁻¹ of the MIP at 283 K, 298 K and 313 K, respectively and 7 mg·g⁻¹ for the NIP. The negative values of ΔG° indicate that the removal of dye by the molecularly imprinting polymer and non-imprinting polymer is spontaneous, and the positive values of ΔH° and ΔS° indicate that the process is endothermic and occurred with the increase of randomness. The selectivity of the MIP for BB-3 dye was investigated in the presence of structurally similar as well as different dyes, but the MIP showed higher selectivity than the NIP. The imprinted polymer showed 96% rebinding capacity at 313 K towards the template, and the calculated imprinted factor and Kd value were 10.73 and 2.62, respectively. In this work, the MIP showed a greater potential of selectivity for the template from wastewater relative to the closely similar compounds.     

Molecularly imprinted polymers for on-line preconcentration by solid phase extraction of pirimicarb in water samples

The synthesis and performance of a molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as a selective solid phase extraction sorbent for the preconcentration of the carbamate pirimicarb from water samples is described. The MIP was prepared using pirimicarb as the template, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linking monomer, and using chloroform as the solvent. The detection of pirimicarb was carried out by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) in 0.1 mol l⁻¹ HCl. Solvents of different polarities were checked for the polymer synthesis, and different experimental variables (sample pH, selection of the eluent used, eluent volume, analyte and eluent flow rates and sample volume) associated with the rebinding/extraction process were optimised. For a 25 ml sample, the process took about 13 min and resulted in a nominal enrichment factor of 50 (eluent MeOH:H₂O:HAc, 7:2:1; 0.5 ml) for pirimicarb. A limit of detection of 4.1 μg l⁻¹ was obtained, and a good reproducibility of the measurements using different MIP microcolumns was found. Furthermore, the MIP selectivity was evaluated by checking several substances with similar and different molecular structures to that of pirimicarb. As an application, pirimicarb was determined in water samples of diverse origin which were spiked at a concentration level of 71.5 μg l⁻¹.     

Complexes of polyelectrolyte hydrogels with organic dyes: Effect of charge density on the complex stability and intragel dye aggregation

The swelling behavior of polyelectrolyte gels based on poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (copolymers of diallyldimethylammonium chloride and acrylamide with the variable composition) and poly(methacrylic acid, sodium salt) in the presence of organic water soluble dyes (alizarin, naphthol blue black, rhodamine) was studied. The collapse of the polyelectrolyte gels in the presence of oppositely charged dyes together with the effective absorption of dyes was observed. The shrinking degree and the dye absorption by the gel depend on the charges of the polymer network and the dye, and also on the dye concentration. Stability of the gel–dye complexes in a salt solution of NaCl and Al₂(SO₄)₃ was studied. It was shown that the complex stability in the salt solution depends on the charge density of the polymer chains forming the gel. The increase of charge density of polymer generally leads to the enhancement of the complex stability. For the systems with the fraction of charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) monomer units above 0.5 the release of alizarin to the external solution of Al₂(SO₄)₃ reservoir is practically completely suppressed. The obtained results show that oppositely charged dyes are generally from stable complexes with polyelectrolyte gels. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1209–1217, 1999     

Synthetic creatinine receptor: imprinting of a Lewis acidic zinc(II)cyclen binding site to shape its molecular recognition selectivity

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) from polymerizable Lewis acidic zinc(II)cyclen complexes and ethylene glycol dimethyl acrylate have been prepared. For the imprinting process the template molecule creatinine is reversibly coordinated to the zinc atom. The high strength of this interaction allows analyte binding to the MIP from aqueous solution with high affinity. Its pH dependence is used for controlled guest release with nearly quantitative analyte recovery rate. The binding capacity and selectivity profile of the MIP remains constant through several pH controlled binding and release cycles. MIPs missing a suitable metal binding site showed no significant affinity for thymine or creatinine. Flavin adsorbs nonspecifically to all polymers. The imprinting process reverses the binding selectivity of zinc(II)cyclen for creatinine and thymine from 1:34 in homogeneous solution to 3.5:1 in the MIP. Scatchard plot analysis of creatinine binding isotherms reveals uniform binding of the imprint, with fits indicating a one-site model; however, similar analysis for thymine indicate high and low affinity sites. This corresponds to unrestricted coordination sites freely accessible for thymine, e.g., at the polymer surface, and misshaped imprinted sites, which still can accommodate thymine. More than 50% of all binding sites exclusively bind creatinine and are not accessible to thymine. The binding properties of a copolymer of polymerizable zinc(II)cyclen and ethylene glycol dimethyl acrylate missing the creatinine template, which match the binding selectivity of the complex in solution, confirm that the origin of altered selectivities is the imprinting process. With binding ability at physiological pH, the MIPs are applicable for tasks in medicinal diagnostics or biotechnology. Imprinted zinc(II)cyclen complexes provide, like a metalloenzyme binding motif, high binding affinity by reversible coordination while the surrounding macromolecule determines binding selectivity.     

溶胶-凝胶法制备红霉素印迹固相萃取材料及其选择性吸附

以红霉素为模板分子,采用溶胶-凝胶印迹技术,合成对红霉素具有特异选择识别性能的印迹聚合材料.采用红外光谱、扫描电子显微镜、热重分析以及比表面积测定技术对印迹聚合物的结构和表面性能进行详细探讨,结果表明所得印迹聚合物比表面积为266.2m2/g,粒径为600nm左右的颗粒材料.选择3种抗生素类药物进行选择吸附研究,结果表明,该聚合物对红霉素的分离因子最高达到2.20.优化固相萃取条件,结果表明用甲醇:乙酸(75:25,V/V)作为洗脱剂时对红霉素的洗脱效果最好.结合液相色谱技术,该印迹材料成功的分离和富集红霉素肠溶片中的红霉素,回收率达到104.5%。     

Analysis of recognition of fructose by imprinted polymers

Binding of fructose to the fructose imprinted polymer (MIP(Frc)) and pinacol imprinted polymer (control) were studied both in batch and a flow through mode. The influence of the cross-linkers ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) on the binding characteristics was analysed. TRIM cross-linked MIPs showed a lower (unspecific) binding for the control polymer (pinacol imprinted) and higher binding of fructose as compared with the EDMA-MIPs. Furthermore interactions of a TRIM cross-linked molecularly imprinted polymer against fructose and its corresponding template were studied using a thermistor. Label-free detection of fructose was realised in the range of 0.5-10mM. The difference in enthalpy changes between specific binding of fructose to boronic acid moieties of the MIP and non-specific binding to the matrix leads to an 18-fold higher apparent imprinting factor than batch binding studies. Cross-reactivity studies using MIP sensor indicate that the interaction of fructose to MIP generates higher signal than disaccharides. The studies described in this paper demonstrate the potential of direct characterisation of molecular binding events.     

Separation and determination of ciprofloxacin in seawater,human blood plasma and tablet samples using molecularly imprinted polymer pipette‐tip solid phase extraction and its optimization by response surface methodology

By synthesizing a molecular imprinted polymer as an efficient adsorbent, ciprofloxacin was micro‐extracted from seawater, human blood plasma and tablet samples by pipette‐tip micro solid phase extraction and determined spectrophotometrically. Response surface methodology was applied with central composite design to build a model based on factors affecting on microextraction of ciprofloxacin; including volume of eluent solvent, number of extraction cycles, number of elution cycles, and pH of sample. Other factors that affect extraction efficiency, such as type of eluent solvent, volume of sample, type, and amount of salt were optimized with one‐variable‐at‐a‐time method. Under optimum extraction condition, pH of sample solution was 7.0, volume of eluent solvent (methanol) was 200 µL, volume of sample solution was 10 mL, and the number of extraction and elution cycles was five and seven, respectively, amount of Na₂SO₄ (as salt) and MIP (as sorbent) were optimized at 150 and 2 mg, respectively. The linear range of the suggested method under optimum extraction factors was 5–150 µg/L with a limit of detection of 1.50 µg/L for the analyte. Reproducibility of the method (as relative standard deviation) was better than 7%.     

Hydrophilic molecularly imprinted polymers for bisphenol A prepared in aqueous solution

We have prepared a hydrophilic molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the hydrophobic compound bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution using 3-acrylamido-N,N,N-trimethylpropan-1-aminium chloride (AMTC) as the functional monomer. Under redox-polymerization conditions, BPA forms an ion-pair with AMTC, which was confirmed by ¹H-NMR titration. The imprinting effect in aqueous solution was evaluated by comparison of this material with the corresponding non-imprinted polymer (NIP) and with a control polymer (CP) bearing no AMTC. The MIP showed the highest activity among the three polymers, and the imprinting factors as calculated from the amount of BPA bound to the MIP divided by the amounts bound to NIP and CP, respectively, are 1.8 and 6.0. The MIP was selective for BPA in aqueous solution, while structurally related compounds are not recognized. Such a selectivity for a hydrophobic compound is rarely observed in aqueous medium because non-specific binding of BPA inevitably leads to hydrophobic interaction.

Molecular-imprinted polymer extraction combined with dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extractionfor ultra-preconcentration of mononitrotoluene

Molecular-imprinted polymer (MIP) combined with dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction (DLLME) were developed for ultra-preconcentration and determination of mononitrotoluenes in wastewater samples using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector. MIP was synthesized by copolymerization of methacrylic acid-ethylene glycole dimethacrylate-2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator that imprinted with 3-nitrotoluene as the template molecule. Effects of several factors, such as type and volume of eluent, adsorption, and desorption times of the analyte on the polymer, and breakthrough volume were investigated. Optimization of 3-nitrotoluene extraction from MIP was studied forward followed by DLLME. Preconcentration factor of MIP-DLLME method was about 2800 under the optimum conditions. The LOD of the proposed method was 0.02?μg/L and a linear dynamic range in the range of 0.04-20?μg/L was obtained. The performance of the present method was evaluated for extraction and determination of nitrotoluene compounds in wastewater samples in the range of microgram per liter and satisfactory results were achieved (RSD<13%).     

Synthesis and Evaluation of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers as Sorbents for Selective Extraction of Coumarins

Coumarin, 7-hydroxycoumarin and dicoumarol molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) were synthesized by bulk polymerization. Methacrylic acid and 4-vinylpyridine were tested as functional monomers and methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, toluene and chloroform were tested as porogens. The binding capabilities of the imprinted polymers were assessed by equilibrium binding analysis. Highest binding capacity was obtained for MIP prepared for the template 7-hydroxycoumarin synthesized in methacrylic acid as functional monomer, chloroform as porogen and methanol/water as analyte solvent. Scanning electron microscopy analysis documented its appropriate morphology. ATR-FTIR spectra confirmed successful polymerization of MIP. Coumarin structural analogues were employed to evaluate the polymer selectivity and it was found that polymer prepared for 7-hydroxycoumarin was selective for its template molecule. Kinetic studies showed relatively fast adsorption of analytes to MIPs (1 h). Rebinding properties of MIPs were evaluated by adsorption isotherms. The calculated data fitted well with experimental data showing that Freundlich isotherm is suitable for modelling the adsorption of tested coumarins on prepared MIPs. Applicability of polymer prepared for 7-hydroxycoumarin was tested for the selective extraction of coumarins from the sample of chicory.     

Direct patterning of molecularly imprinted microdot arrays for sensors and biochips

We have used fountain pen microlithography to deposit arrays of molecularly imprinted polymer microdots on flat substrates. We visualize analyte binding to the dots by fluorescence microscopy with the aid of fluorescein as a model analyte. Elution and readsorption of the analyte to the MIP dots were possible if the porosity of the dots was improved by a sacrificial polymeric porogen. The imprinting effect was confirmed by using compounds structurally related to fluorescein. In addition, we show with another MIP specific to 2,4-D that, apart from the direct measurement of the binding of fluorescent compounds, a competitive immunoassay-type format can also be used to transduce the binding. We believe that this technique has a strong potential for the fabrication of biomimetic microchips and other types of integrated biosensors.     

Surface molecular imprints of WGA lectin as artificial receptors for mass-sensitive binding studies

Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) lectin is a model compound for the interaction between viruses and cells during infection events and thus an interesting analyte for mass-sensitive sensing to study these interaction phenomena. Scanning tunneling microscopy studies reveal that surface molecular imprinting leads to cavities having the dimensions of WGA dimers. These reincorporate WGA from phosphate-buffered saline between 1 and 160 μg/ml. Whereas the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) frequency for molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated electrodes decreases, indicating uptake of the analyte, their nonimprinted counterparts yield positive, concentration-dependent frequency shifts characteristic for slip of the analyte on the QCM surface. The MIPs achieve selectivity factors towards bovine serum albumin of roughly 4 at higher protein concentrations. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis reveals that binding is favored by 29 kJ/mol until the adsorption of up to ten monolayers on the MIP, whereas above this range the value is lower. Together with the binding behavior of MIP and nonimprinted polymers, this indicates that the MIP acts as a nucleus for multilayer deposition onto the surface.     

Study on the Binding Characteristic of Methamidophos‐Specific Molecularly Imprinted Polymer and the Interactions between Template and Monomers

A new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared using methamidophos (MAP) as the template molecule based on non‐covalent interaction. The complexes formed between template and monomers before polymerization were characterized by ¹H NMR titration test, FT‐IR and UV spectrometry study. These studies indicated that a 1:2 molecular complex formed dominantly between MAP and functional monomers. A model mainly involving cooperative hydrogen interaction was proposed by exact placement of functional groups. Association constant was estimated to be 2.894 × 10⁶ L²/mol². When the initial concentration of MAP was 1.0 mmol L^?1, the affinity capacity of MIP was 4.23 times that of NIP. The binding performance of MIP was modeled with the Freundlich isotherm (FI) and the total number of binding sites was calculated to be 33.97 μmol/g. The MIP showed great homogeneity with a heterogeneity index of m = 0.7356. The specificity of MIP was investigated by single‐analyte binding and molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction (MISPE) assays using MAP and other structurally related organophorous pesticides (OPPs). The results indicated that the MIP had a marked preference for MAP.     

Evaluation of molecularly imprinted membranes based on different acrylic copolymers

Polyacrylonitrile and its copolymers with different functional monomers (itaconic acid, acrylic acid and acrylamide) were synthesized via water-phase precipitation polymerization in order to prepare molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membranes with recognition properties for the flavonoid naringin (NR). Membranes were prepared by phase inversion technique using dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent and adding naringin as template molecule to the casting solution. For comparison, membranes without template (blank) were prepared and tested. All MIP membranes showed high specific binding capacity; among them, the membrane prepared with the copolymer containing acrylamide as functional group, showed the highest binding capacity. Blank membranes only showed non-specific binding. The bound template was totally recovered and regenerated membranes maintained their initial binding capacity after reuse.     

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 on-line solid-phase extraction combined with flow-injection chemiluminescence for the determination of tetracycline

A molecularly imprinted polymer solid phase extraction (MISPE) method combined with flow-injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) for the determination of residual tetracycline (TC) in fish samples is presented. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) of TC was synthesized and particles of this MIP were packed into a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tube, which was connected into the sampling loop of an eight-way injection valve and served as the MISPE column for on-line selective adsorption of TC. The eluent (CH3CN : HNO3 (0.01 mol L(-1)) = 4 ratio 1, v ratio v) was used for extracting the adsorbed TC, which could be detected by its good enhancing effect on the CL reaction between Ce(iv) and rhodamine B. The CL intensity is linear to TC concentration in the range from 4 x 10(-9) to 4 x 10(-7) g mL(-1). The detection limit is 1 x 10(-9) g mL(-1) (3 sigma) and the relative standard deviation is 2.4% (n = 9). The conditions of preconcentration, extraction and CL reaction were carefully studied. The selectivity experiment shows that the selectivity and sensitivity of the CL method could be improved greatly when MIP was used as a recognition material in SPE. However, the MISPE column interacted indiscriminately with oxytetracycline (OTC) with a 49 +/- 2% binding. An intermediate differential pulsed elution (DPE) step using 3% acetic acid as eluent was employed to remove OTC and other interfering substances. The proposed MISPE-CL method has been applied successfully to the determination of TC in fish samples. At the same time, the binding characteristics of the polymer to tetracycline were evaluated by batch and dynamic methods.     

Simultaneous preconcentration and determination of malachite green and fuchsine dyes in seafood and environmental water samples using nano-alumina-based molecular imprinted polymer solid-phase extraction

Molecular imprinted polymer for determination of malachite green (MG) and fuchsine basic (FU) dyes by spectrophotometry has been used, to develop a novel simultaneous extraction and preconcentration method. Molecularly imprinted layer-coated nano-alumina (MIP@Nano-Al₂O₃) as adsorbent was prepared by surface molecular imprinting technique, and characterised by FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The method is based on simultaneous extraction of MG and FU dyes from aqueous solution by using molecularly imprinted polymer and measuring the absorbance at 617 and 546 nm for MG and FU, respectively. Parameters which affect the extraction efficiency such as pH, volume of eluent and amount of adsorbent were investigated and optimised. Linear calibration curves were obtained in the range of 2–750 ng mL^?1 for MG and 1–240 ng mL^?1 for FU under optimum conditions. Detection limit based on three times the standard deviation of the blank (3S_b) was 0.655 and 0.245 ng mL^?1 (n = 10) for MG and FU, respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for 100 ng mL^?1 of MG and FU was 2.35 and 3.06% (n = 7), respectively. The method was applied to the simultaneous determination of the dyes in different seafood and environmental water samples.     

In situ preparation of powder and the sorption behaviors of molecularly imprinted polymers through the complexation between polymer ion of methyl methacrylate/acrylic acid and Ca ion

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) powders were prepared using a simple complexation strategy between the polymer carboxylate groups and template molecule followed by metal cation cross-linking of residual polymer carboxylates. Polymer powders were formed in situ by templating carboxylic acid containing polymers with 4-ethylaniline (4-EA), followed by addition of an aqueous CaCl₂ solution. The solution remained homogeneous. The powders were prepared by precipitation by slowly adding a non-solvent, H₂O, to the mixture. The resulting particles were very porous with uptake capacity that approached the theoretical value. We suggest two types of complexes are formed between the template, 4-EA, and polymer. The isolated entry type forms well defined cavities for the template with high specific selectivity, while the adjacent entry type forms wider binding sites without specific sorption for isomeric molecules. To evaluate conditions for forming materials with high affinity and selectivity, three MIPs were prepared containing 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 equivalents of template to the base polymer. The MIP containing 0.5 eq showed higher specific selectivity to 4-EA, but the MIP containing 1.5 eq had noticeably lower selectivity. The lower selectivity is attributed to poorly formed binding sites with little selective sorption to any isomer when the higher ratio of template was used. However at the lower ratio of template the isolated entry is preferably formed to produce well defined binding cavities with higher selectivity to template.