Monolithic molecularly imprinted polymer for sulfamethoxazole and molecular recognition properties in aqueous mobile phase

A monolithic molecularly imprinted polymer (monolithic MIP) for sulfamethoxazole (SMO) was prepared by in situ polymerization method as the HPLC stationary phase. By optimizing the polymerization conditions, the monolithic MIP showed highly specific recognition for the template SMO over its three structurally related analogs. As shown by SEM and the pore size distribution profile, the resultant MIP monolith showed a main pore diameter of 594 nm and a large specific surface area of 124 m² g⁻¹, this allowed the mobile phase to flow through the column with low backpressure. Furthermore, the recognition abilities of the monolithic MIP in aqueous and organic media were studied. The results exhibited that the monolithic MIP possessed excellent recognition ability in aqueous media. Hydrophobic interactions, in addition to shape recognition, were the dominant effect for recognition in the mobile phase with high water content. Moreover, the binding sites and the dissociation constant were also determined by frontal chromatography as 122 μmol g⁻¹ and 1.88 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, respectively, which demonstrated that the obtained SMO-MIP monolith had a high binding capacity and strong affinity ability to the template molecule. Furthermore, the resultant SMO-MIP monolith was used as HPLC column directly to determine the SMO contents in three kinds of pharmaceutical tablets with the optimized aqueous mobile phase.     

Microdialysis hollow fiber as a macromolecule trap for on-line coupling of solid phase microextraction and capillary electrophoresis

On-line coupling of solid phase microextraction (SPME) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) is highly desirable due to the apparent advantages of the two techniques particularly in the context of microanalysis. However, the hyphenation is a significant challenge, because of band broadening and analyte carryover caused by the slow kinetics of analyte desorption in liquid phase. A novel strategy was presented in this study to overcome these problems. Analytes desorbed from an SPME fiber, which was held by an adapter, were first transferred by electrophoretic migration into a short piece of microdialysis hollow fiber, which was located at the inlet of a CE system. Analytes with molecular weights greater than the molecular weight cut-off of the microdialysis material were trapped in the microdialysis hollow fiber due to the dialysis effect. Then, under another electric field with different electrode polarity, the analytes trapped in the microdialysis hollow fiber migrated into the separation capillary and were separated. In the coupling approach, the microdialysis hollow fiber functioned as a macromolecule trap and a sample pre-concentrator as well. Band broadening was eliminated because the initial sample volume was very small (at nL level). Meanwhile, analyte carryover was eliminated because the desorption time could be as long as needed. Coupling of SPME with CE including two modes, capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF), was successfully demonstrated with proteins as test analytes. High efficiency and high resolution were obtained. The detection limits with UV absorbance whole-column imaging detection were 3.0 x 10(-7) and 3.0 x 10(-8) M (S/N = 3) for beta-lactoglobulin A and ovalbumin, respectively.     

Analysis of urinary neurotransmitters by capillary electrophoresis: sensitivity enhancement using field-amplified sample injection and molecular imprinted polymer solid phase extraction

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been investigated for the analysis of some neurotransmitters, dopamine (DA), 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) at nanomolar concentrations in urine. Field-amplified sample injection (FASI) has been used to improve the sensitivity through the online pre-concentration samples. The cationic analytes were stacked at the capillary inlet between a zone of low conductivity - sample and pre-injection plug - and a zone of high conductivity - running buffer. Several FASI parameters have been optimized (ionic strength of the running buffer, concentration of the sample protonation agent, composition of the sample solvent and nature of the pre-injection plug). Best results were obtained using H₃PO₄–LiOH (pH 4, ionic strength of 80 mmol L⁻¹) as running buffer, 100 μmol L⁻¹ of H₃PO₄ in methanol–water 90/10 (v/v) as sample solvent and 100 μmol L⁻¹ of H₃PO₄ in water for the pre-injection plug.In these conditions, the linearity was verified in the 50–300 nmol L⁻¹ concentration range for DA, 3-MT and 5-HT with a determination coefficient (r²) higher than 0.99. The limits of quantification (10 nmol L⁻¹ for DA and 3-MT, 5.9 nmol L⁻¹ for 5-HT) were 500 times lower than those obtained with hydrodynamic injection. However, if this method is applied to the analysis of neurotransmitters in urine, the presence of salts in the matrix greatly reduces the sensitivity of the FASI/CE–UV method.Therefore, a solid phase extraction (SPE) on a dedicated imprinted polymer (MIP) was developed to extract specific neurotransmitters, catecholamines, metanephrines and indolamines, from urine. Matrix salts were thus discarded after sample extraction on AFFINIMIP™ Catecholamine & Metanephrine (100 mg) cartridge.Therefore, lower limits of quantification were determined in artificial urine (46 nmol L⁻¹ for DA, 11 nmol L⁻¹ for 3-MT and 6 nmol L⁻¹ for 5-HT).The application of this protocol MIP-SPE/FASI–CE–UV analysis of neurotransmitters in human urine gave rise to electropherograms with a very good base line and signal to noise ratios above 15.     

分子印迹固相萃取-高效毛细管电泳法检测鸡肉中的恩诺沙星残留

以恩诺沙星为模板分子,α-甲基丙烯酸为功能单体,二甲基丙烯酸乙二醇酯为交联剂,制备了恩诺沙星分子印迹聚合物。以该分子印迹聚合物为固相萃取材料,采用高效毛细管电泳分离方式,建立了分子印迹固相萃取-高效毛细管电泳检测鸡肉中恩诺沙星的方法。结果表明,该方法能有效地萃取和检测鸡肉中的恩诺沙星。在优化条件下,恩诺沙星的检出限为92.02 μg/kg,定量限为336.04 μg/kg;不同恩诺沙星添加水平下的回收率为77.84%～86.52%,相对标准偏差为2.18%～3.76%。该方法适用于鸡肉中恩诺沙星残留的测定。     

Preparation and evaluation of a novel molecularly imprinted polymer coating for selective extraction of indomethacin from biological samples by electrochemically controlled in-tube solid phase microextraction

In the present work, an automated on-line electrochemically controlled in-tube solid-phase microextraction (EC-in-tube SPME) coupled with HPLC-UV was developed for the selective extraction and preconcentration of indomethacin as a model analyte in biological samples. Applying an electrical potential can improve the extraction efficiency and provide more convenient manipulation of different properties of the extraction system including selectivity, clean-up, rate, and efficiency. For more enhancement of the selectivity and applicability of this method, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer coated tube was prepared and applied for extraction of indomethacin. For this purpose, nanostructured copolymer coating consisting of polypyrrole doped with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate was prepared on the inner surface of a stainless-steel tube by electrochemical synthesis. The characteristics and application of the tubes were investigated. Electron microscopy provided a cross linked porous surface and the average thickness of the MIP coating was 45 μm. Compared with the non-imprinted polymer coated tubes, the special selectivity for indomethacin was discovered with the molecularly imprinted coated tube. Moreover, stable and reproducible responses were obtained without being considerably influenced by interferences commonly existing in biological samples. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection were in the range of 0.07–2.0 μg L⁻¹ in different matrices. This method showed good linearity for indomethacin in the range of 0.1–200 μg L⁻¹, with coefficients of determination better than 0.996. The inter- and intra-assay precisions (RSD%, n = 3) were respectively in the range of 3.5–8.4% and 2.3–7.6% at three concentration levels of 7, 70 and 150 μg L⁻¹. The results showed that the proposed method can be successfully applied for selective analysis of indomethacin in biological samples.     

Alumina-based fiber for solid phase microextraction of alcohols from gaseous samples.

On the basis of the affinity of alumina towards hydroxyl functional groups, a solid phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was constructed using alumina powder and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Different compositions were tested and alumina:PVC (97:3) was selected as an optimun composition. A piece of silver wire was used as fiber support. The fiber producing was simple and could be completed in a few minutes. The mechanical durability of the fiber was so good that only a single fiber was used during this study. Ethanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-pentanol and cyclohexanol were selected as target analytes. Finally, ethanol concentration in the fruit juices and vinegar was measured using SPME-capillary gas chromatography followed by flame ionization detection.     

Sensitive determination of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

A CE-LIF method was developed for the separation and sensitive detection of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine after derivatization by 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazol (NBD-C1). The derivatization and separation conditions were investigated in detail and the optimum conditions were obtained. Under the optimum experiment conditions, good linearity relationships (correlation coefficients: 0.9942 for ephedrine and 0.9970 for pseudoephedrine) between the peak heights and concentrations of the analytes were obtained (0.7-140 microM). The detection limits were 0.16 microM for ephedrine and 0.17 microM for pseudoephedrine, which indicated that the sensitivities were at least ten times improved over those reported in the literature obtained by UV detection. The method was applied to the analysis of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in ephedra herb plants and preparations with good results.     

Water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymer for the selective recognition of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in biological samples

A novel water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), prepared with enrofloxacin (ENR) as the template, has been optimised for the selective extraction of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in aqueous media. The results of a morphological characterisation and selectivity tests of the polymer material for ENR and related derivatives are reported. High affinity for the piperazine-based fluoroquinolones marbofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin was observed, whereas no retention was found for nonrelated antibiotics. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the polymer have been optimised to achieve selective extraction of the antibiotics from real samples and to reduce nonspecific interactions. These findings resulted in a MISPE/HPLC-FLD method allowing direct extraction of the analytes from aqueous samples with a selective wash using just 50% (v/v) organic solvent. The method showed excellent recoveries and precision when buffered urine samples fortified at five concentration levels (25–250 ng mL⁻¹ each) of marbofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, enrofloxacin and sarafloxacin were tested (53–88%, RSD 1–10%, n = 3). Moreover, the biological matrix of the aqueous samples did not influence the preconcentration efficiency of the fluoroquinolones on the MIP cartridges; no significant differences were observed between the recovery rates of the antibiotics in buffer and urine samples. The detection limits of the whole process range between 1.9 and 34 ng mL^–1 when 5-mL urine samples are processed. The developed method has been successfully applied to preconcentration of norfloxacin in urine samples of a medicated patient, demonstrating the ability of the novel MIP for selective extraction of fluoroquinolones in urine samples.     

A novel method to prepare monolithic molecular imprinted polymer fiber for solid‐phase microextraction by microwave irradiation†

In this paper, a new approach to prepare monolithic molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) fibers for solid‐phase microextraction is proposed with the help of microwave irradiation. Imprinting polymerization was carried out within silica capillaries in 4.5 min, using dimethyl phthalate (DMP) as a template molecular, α‐methacrylic acid as a functional monomer and ethylene dimethacrylate as a crosslinker, acetonitrile as the porogenic solvent. The synthesis was optimized by varying the ratio of template/monomer and different volume of porogen. The resulted MIP fibers were obtained after silica being etched away with a controlled length of 1 cm, and subsequently characterized by SEM. In order to increase the selective extraction of DMP, factors affecting the extraction including extraction time, salt concentration, desorption time, and desorption solvents were investigated for solid‐phase microextraction procedures in detail. The selectivity coefficients, defined as the extraction amount ratio of MIP to its nonimprinting fiber, were 5.6, 2.6, and 1.4 for DMP and its counterpart including dibutyl phthalate and di‐n‐octylo‐phthalate, respectively. The resulted fibers were also applied to detect DMP, dibutyl phthalate, and di‐n‐octylo‐phthalate in bottled beverage samples coupled to HPLC and resulted in relative recoveries of up to 73.8–98.5%, respectively.     

Determination of urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine by capillary electrophoresis with molecularly imprinted monolith in-tube solid phase microextraction

<正>Urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine(8-OHdG) is an excellent marker of oxidative DNA damage.In this study,employing guanosine as dummy template a novel molecularly imprinted(MIP) monolithic capillary column had been synthesized,and that was used as medium of in-tube solid phase microextraction(SPME).Coupled with capillary electrophoresis-electrochemical detection(CE-ECD),the system of extraction and detection of 8-OHdG in urinary sample had been developed.Because of its greater phase ratio combined with convective mass transfer and inherent selectivity,the MIP monolithic column exhibited high extraction efficiency on target analyte with the limit of detection(LOD) and quantity(LOQ) reached 2.6 nmol/L(S/N = 3) and 8.6 nmol/L(S/N= 10),respectively.The linear range was from 10 nmol/L to 1.5μmol/L(r = 0.9999) with relative standard deviation(RSD) 3.7%for peak current,and 0.5%for migration time,and the average recovery of spiked 20-200 nmol/L 8-OHdG was 85%±3.5%(n = 6).This highly sensitive method was applied to analysis of 8-OHdG in urinary samples from healthy volunteers,coking plant workers and lung cancer patients.     

Molecularly imprinted dispersive solid-phase microextraction for determination of sulfamethazine by capillary electrophoresis

We have developed a rapid, selective and efficient method for dispersive solid-phase microextraction (DSPME) using microbeads of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP). It enables the pre-concentration of sulfamethazine and sample clean-up prior to capillary electrophoresis with UV detection. The microbeads were synthesized via precipitation polymerization using sulfamethazine, methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the template molecule, the functional monomer and the cross-linking monomer, respectively. Characterization by SEM displayed the high uniformity and dispersibility of the MIP microbeads. The adsorption and desorption of sulfamethazine and the parameters for CE were optimized to result in a limit of detection of 1.1?μg?L^?1, which is 373-fold lower than that of direct CE detection. The equilibration time of extraction was reduced to 5?min, and the selectivity of the microbeads was significantly improved compared to the non-imprinted polymer. The method was successfully applied to the determination of trace sulfamethazine in several milk samples, with recoveries in the range of 89?% to 110?%.

Separation and determination of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine by combination of flow injection with capillary electrophoresis

A simple, rapid, and accurate method for the separation and determination of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine using direct UV absorbance detection has been developed by the combination of flow injection with capillary electrophoresis for the first time. The buffer solution used is a 40 mM borate solution with the pH adjusted to 9.5 using a 2 M NaOH solution. The linear calibration range is 50 to 1000 microg/mL (r = 0.9996) for both analytes, and the recoveries are 91.2-108.2% for ephedrine and 92.6-107.3% for pseudoephedrine, respectively. The relative standard deviation of the peak area is 1.6% for ephedrine and 1.3% for pseudoephedrine (n = 6) at a concentration of 500 microg/mL, respectively. A series of samples is injected repeatedly without current interruption and subsequent rinsing, and the contents of these two alkaloids in three marketed drugs and the medical plant, Ephedra sinica, are determined with satisfactory results by this method.     

Hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction coupled with miniature capillary electrophoresis for the trace analysis of four aliphatic aldehydes in water samples

An environmentally friendly method for the trace analysis of four aliphatic aldehydes as water disinfection byproducts has been developed based on hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction followed by miniature capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection. After derivatization with 2‐thiobarbituric acid, four aliphatic aldehydes (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propylaldehyde, and butyraldehyde) became detectable by the amperometric detector. Under the optimum conditions, four aliphatic aldehydes can be well separated from the coexisting interferents as well as their homologs (pentanal, glyoxal, and methyl‐glyoxal), and the limits of detection (S/N = 3) could reach sub‐nanogram‐per‐milliliter level based on hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction. The proposed method has been applied for the analyses of above four aliphatic aldehydes in different water samples such as drinking water, tap water, and river water, and the average recoveries were in the range of 90–113%, providing an alternative to conventional and microchip capillary electrophoresis approaches.     

Preparation and application of molecularly imprinted polymer solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the selective analysis of auxins in tobacco

As signal molecules, auxins play an important role in mediating plant growth. Due to serious interfering substances in plants, it is difficult to accurately detect auxins with traditional solid‐phase extraction methods. To improve the selectivity of sample pretreatment, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer ‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber, which could be coupled directly to high‐performance liquid chromatography, was prepared with indole acetic acid as template molecule for the selective extraction of auxins. The factors influencing the polymer formation, such as polymerization solvent, cross‐linker, and polymerization time, were investigated in detail to enhance the performance of indole acetic acid‐molecularly imprinted polymer coating. The morphological and chemical stability of this molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectrometry, and thermal analysis. The extraction capacity of the molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber was evaluated for the selective extraction of indole acetic acid and indole‐3‐pyruvic acid followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis. The linear range for indole acetic acid and indole‐3‐pyruvic acid was 1–100 µg/L and their detection limit was 0.5 µg/L. The method was applied to the simultaneous determination of two auxins in two kinds of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L and Nicotiana rustica L) samples, with recoveries range from 82.1 to 120.6%.     

Improved conditions for the application of solid phase microextraction prior to HPLC-FLD analysis of anatoxin-a

Solid phase microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been optimized and evaluated for a simple, rapid, and selective analysis of anatoxin-a. Four kinds of fiber (100 microm polydimethylsiloxane, 60 microm polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene, 50 microm Carbowax/templated resin-100, and 85 microm polyacrylate) were evaluated for an efficient extraction of the toxin. Parameters relating to the desorption step, such as desorption mode, solvent composition, time for both static and dynamic desorption, as well as carryover, have been studied and optimized. The derivatization process was investigated using NBD-F as derivatizing reagent. Anatoxin-a derivative was formed when the anatoxin-a-loaded fiber was inserted in a vial containing 5 microL of NBD-F. Variables affecting extraction such us ionic strength, temperature, and time have been also optimized. The results obtained showed linearity in the range of 10-2000 ng and a limit of detection of 0.29 ng/mL in river water. The presented method has been applied to different environmental samples.     

Molecularly imprinted polymer as a solid phase extractor in flow analysis

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are novel alternative materials for solid phase extraction. Applications in flow analysis are recent and enhanced in-line separation/concentration procedures have been proposed. Use of flow systems is very important in the context. The aim of this review is then to highlight the implementation of MIP as solid phase extractor in flow analysis, emphasizing potentialities, limitations and applications.     

Spherical molecularly imprinted polymer particles: a promising tool for molecular recognition in capillary electrokinetic separations

Spherical molecularly imprinted polymer particles obtained via precipitation polymerization, were introduced as a pseudostationary phase in capillary electrophoresis (CE) to study molecular recognition. Analyses were performed via a partial filling technique using (+)-ephedrine-imprinted microspheres (100-200 nm) which were polymerized from methacrylic acid and 1,1,1-Tris(hydroxymethyl)propanetrimethacrylate using acetonitrile as the solvent. The influence of pH and the modifier content on the separation was investigated. A 0.1% w/v suspension in an aqueous 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5 with 40% acetonitrile) was hydrodynamically injected into the CE system (80% of the effective capillary length) and led to full baseline separation of racemic ephedrine within 10 min.     

Sensitive determination of chloroanilines in water samples by hollow fiber‐based liquid‐phase microextraction prior to capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection

A hollow fiber‐based liquid‐phase microextraction method has been developed for enrichment of trace chloroanilines in water samples. Target analytes including aniline, three mono‐chlorinated aniline isomers (o‐chloroaniline, m‐chloroaniline, and p‐chloroaniline) and four mono‐chlorinated methylaniline isomers (2‐chloro‐4‐methylaniline, 3‐chloro‐4‐methylaniline, 4‐chloro‐2‐methylaniline, and 5‐chloro‐2‐methylaniline) were determined by CE with amperometric detection after microextraction. Several factors that affect separation, detection, and extraction efficiency were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, eight aniline compounds could be well separated from other components coexisting in water samples within 25 min, exhibiting a linear calibration over three orders of magnitude (r > 0.998); the obtained enrichment factors were between 51 and 239, and the LODs were in the range of 0.01–0.1 ng/mL. The proposed method has been applied for the analyses of real environmental water and sewage samples with relative recoveries in the range of 83–108%.     

Preparation and application of solid-phase microextraction fiber based on molecularly imprinted polymer for determination of anabolic steroids in complicated samples

A relatively selective, chemically and physically robust SPME fiber was developed in a simple way with testosterone-imprinted polymer, and then directly coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for selective extraction and analysis of anabolic steroids. The factors influencing polymerization (i.e., cross-linker, polymerization solvent, polymerization time) were optimized in detail and the polymer was characterized by scanning electron microscope, infrared spectrometer and thermogravimetric analyzer. Furthermore, the extraction performance of the MIP-coated SPME fibers such as extraction ability and selectivity was evaluated. Moreover, the interaction mode between target analytes and fiber coating was deducted. Finally, the method for extraction and determination of androsterone, stanolone, androstenedione and methyltestosterone by the homemade MIP-coated SPME fibers with GC-MS was obtained. It was applied to the simultaneous analysis of four anabolic steroids in the spiked human urine with the satisfactory recoveries.