Boric acid functionalized ratiometric fluorescence probe for sensitive and on-site naked eye determination of dopamine based on two different kinds of quantum dots

A simple dual-emission probe based on 3-aminophenylboronic acid functionalized CdTe quantum dots (QDs) and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) was developed for the on-site naked eye detection of dopamine (DA).

Highly dispersed magnetic molecularly imprinted nanoparticles with well-defined thin film for the selective extraction of glycoprotein

Highly dispersed magnetic molecularly imprinted nanoparticles (MMINs) with a well-defined thin film for the selective extraction of glycoprotein HRP were developed in this work.

Boronate affinity molecularly imprinted inverse opal particles for multiple label-free bioassays

Boronate affinity molecularly imprinted inverse opal particles were developed for the multiplex label-free detection of glycoproteins with high sensitivity and specificity.

Specific oriented recognition of a new stable ICTX@Mfa with retrievability for selective photocatalytic degrading of ciprofloxacin

A new imprinted photocatalyst ICTX@Mfa which exhibits superior specific oriented recognition capability, stability and retrievability for selectively degrading ciprofloxacin.

Selective extraction of bioactive glycoprotein in neutral environment through Concanavalin A mediated template immobilization and dopamine surface imprinting

Inspired by the sugar–lectin interaction, Concanavalin A mediated glycoprotein pre-immobilization, combined with dopamine polymerization, is employed to fabricate a glycoprotein imprint that can work in physiological environments.

Graphene oxide-based boronate polymer brushes via surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization for the selective enrichment of glycoproteins

A facile and efficient method was developed to synthesize boronic acid polymer brushes immobilized on magnetic graphene oxide for the selective enrichment of glycoproteins from complex biological samples via surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP).

A novel hollow capsule-like recyclable functional ZnO/C/Fe3O4 endowed with three-dimensional oriented recognition ability for selectively photodegrading danofloxacin mesylate

The functional ZnO/C/Fe₃O₄ exhibits high photocatalytic activity and possesses good selectivity.

Improvement of DNA recognition through molecular imprinting: hybrid oligomer imprinted polymeric nanoparticles (oligoMIP NPs)

Here we describe the production and characterization of oligoMIP NPs in which we have preorganized the oligonucleotide binding by molecular imprinting technology.

Au–cysteine modified macroporous adsorption resin: preparation and highly selective enrichment and identification of N-linked glycopeptides from the complex biological sample

Cysteine functionalized macroporous adsorption resin/gold nanoparticle was synthesized and applied to the highly selective enrichment and identification of N-linked glycopeptides.

Boronic acid based imprinted electrochemical sensor for rutin recognition and detection

An electrochemical sensor based on boronic acid affinity and molecular imprinted polymer specific binding was developed for rutin dual-recognition and sensitive detection.

Surface protein imprinted magnetic nanoparticles for specific recognition of bovine hemoglobin

Magnetic molecular imprinting for recognition of bovine hemoglobin was prepared by combining the surface imprinting technique with two-stage core–shell sol–gel polymerization.

Design of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for controlled release of doxorubicin under an alternative magnetic field in athermal conditions

An innovative magnetic delivery nanomaterial for triggered cancer therapy showing active control over drug release by using an alternative magnetic field is proposed. In vitro and In vivo release of doxorubicin (DOX) were investigated and showed a massive DOX release under an alternative magnetic field without temperature elevation of the medium.

Programmable Downregulation of Enzyme Activity Using a Fever and NIR-Responsive Molecularly Imprinted Nanocomposite

A fever and NIR-responsive molecularly imprinted nanocomposite is designed for programmable downregulation of enzyme activity. The target enzyme can be captured specifically and its activity can be downregulated only when body temperature increases abnormally. Upon NIR irradiation, the temperature of the destination region can increase accordingly inducing a further decrease in the enzyme activity.

Boronate affinity materials for separation and molecular recognition: structure, properties and applications

Boronate affinity materials, as unique sorbents, have emerged as important media for the selective separation and molecular recognition of cis-diol-containing compounds. With the introduction of boronic acid functionality, boronate affinity materials exhibit several significant advantages, including broad-spectrum selectivity, reversible covalent binding, pH-controlled capture/release, fast association/desorption kinetics, and good compatibility with mass spectrometry. Because cis-diol-containing biomolecules, including nucleosides, saccharides, glycans, glycoproteins and so on, are the important targets in current research frontiers such as metabolomics, glycomics and proteomics, boronate affinity materials have gained rapid development and found increasing applications in the last decade. In this review, we critically survey recent advances in boronate affinity materials. We focus on fundamental considerations as well as important progress and new boronate affinity materials reported in the last decade. We particularly discuss on the effects of the structure of boronate ligands and supporting materials on the properties of boronate affinity materials, such as binding pH, affinity, selectivity, binding capacity, tolerance for interference and so on. A variety of promising applications, including affinity separation, proteomics, metabolomics, disease diagnostics and aptamer selection, are introduced with main emphasis on how boronate affinity materials can solve the issues in the applications and what merits boronate affinity materials can provide.

Boronate-Affinity Glycan-Oriented Surface Imprinting: A New Strategy to Mimic Lectins for the Recognition of an Intact Glycoprotein and Its Characteristic Fragments

Lectins possess unique binding properties and are of particular value in molecular recognition. However, lectins suffer from several disadvantages, such as being hard to prepare and showing poor storage stability. Boronate-affinity glycan-oriented surface imprinting was developed as a new strategy for the preparation of lectin-like molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). The prepared MIPs could specifically recognize an intact glycoprotein and its characteristic fragments, even within a complex sample matrix. Glycan-imprinted MIPs could thus prove to be powerful tools for important applications such as proteomics, glycomics, and diagnostics.

Selective glycoprotein detection through covalent templating and allosteric click-imprinting

A hierarchical bottom-up route exploiting reversible covalent interactions with boronic acids and so-called click chemistry for selective glycoprotein detection is described. The self-assembled and imprinted surfaces confer high binding affinities, nanomolar sensitivity, exceptional glycoprotein specificity and selectivity.

Many glycoproteins are intimately linked to the onset and progression of numerous heritable or acquired diseases of humans, including cancer. Indeed the recognition of specific glycoproteins remains a significant challenge in analytical method and diagnostic development. Herein, a hierarchical bottom-up route exploiting reversible covalent interactions with boronic acids and so-called click chemistry for the fabrication of glycoprotein selective surfaces that surmount current antibody constraints is described. The self-assembled and imprinted surfaces, containing specific glycoprotein molecular recognition nanocavities, confer high binding affinities, nanomolar sensitivity, exceptional glycoprotein specificity and selectivity with as high as 30 fold selectivity for prostate specific antigen (PSA) over other glycoproteins. This synthetic, robust and highly selective recognition platform can be used in complex biological media and be recycled multiple times with no performance decrement.

Facile Synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Graphene Quantum Dots for the Determination of Dopamine with Affinity-Adjustable

A facilely prepared fluorescence sensor was developed for dopamine (DA) determination based on polyindole/graphene quantum dots molecularly imprinted polymers (PIn/GQDs@MIPs). The proposed sensor exhibits a high sensitivity with a linear range of 5 × 10(-10) to 1.2 × 10(-6) M and the limit of detection as low as 1 × 10(-10) M in the determination of DA, which is probably due to the tailor-made imprinted cavities for binding DA thought hydrogen bonds between amine groups of DA and oxygen-containing groups of the novel composite. Furthermore, the prepared sensor can rebind DA in dual-type: a low affinity type (noncovalent interaction is off) and a high affinity type (noncovalent interaction is on), and the rebinding interaction can be adjusted by tuning the pH, which shows a unique potential for adjusting the binding interaction while keeping the specificity, allowing for wider applications.

Simple and effective label-free capillary electrophoretic analysis of sugars by complexation using quinoline boronic acids

An effective separation and detection procedure for sugars by capillary electrophoresis (CE) using a complexation between quinolineboronic acid (QBA) and multiple hydroxyl structure of sugar alcohol is reported. We investigated the variation of fluorescence spectra of a variety of QBAs with sorbitol at a wide range of pH conditions and then found that 5-isoQBA strongly enhanced the fluorescence intensity by the complexation at basic pH conditions. The other sugar alcohols having multiple hydroxyls also revealed the enhancement of the fluorescence intensity with 5-isoQBA, whereas the alternation of the intensity was not found in the sugars such as glucose. After optimization of the 5-isoQBA concentration and pH of the buffered solution in CE analysis, 6 sugar alcohols were successfully separated in the order based on the formation constants with 5-isoQBA, which were calculated from the variation of the fluorescence intensity with each sugar alcohol and 5-isoQBA. Furthermore, the limits of detection for sorbitol and xylitol by the CE method were estimated at 15 and 27 μM, respectively.

Highly stable and reusable imprinted artificial antibody used for in situ detection and disinfection of pathogens

Sandwich ELISA methods have been widely used for biomarker and pathogen detection because of their high specificity and sensitivity. However, the main drawbacks of this assay are the cost, the time-consuming procedure for the isolation of antibodies and their poor stability. To overcome these restrictions, we herein fabricated artificial antibodies based on imprinting technology and developed a sandwich ELISA for pathogen detection. Both the capture and detection antibodies were obtained via an in situ method, with simplicity, rapidity and low cost. The peroxidase mimics, the CeO2 nanoparticles, as signal generators were integrated with the detection antibody. The fabricated artificial antibodies exhibited not only natural antibody-like binding affinities and selectivities, but also superior stability and reusability. The detection limit was about 500 CFU mL-1, which is much lower than that of traditional ELISA methods (104 to 105 CFU mL-1). Furthermore, the capture antibody can disinfect pathogens in situ.

Cell-imprinted antimicrobial bionanomaterials with tolerable toxic side effects

Taking advantage of imprinting technology, artificial antibody-microbial imprinted Ag-TiO(2) materials are fabricated for microbial inactivation using a facile and green method. Due to the induced shape and size recognition elements, the artificial antibodies specifically recognize and kill target microbes under visible-light irradiation with minimal toxic side effects toward mammalian cells.

Doubly responsive polymersomes towards monosaccharides and temperature under physiologically relevant conditions

A new class of doubly-responsive block copolymers could be utilized as new delivery vehicles for cargo molecules such as insulin.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering imaging of cancer cells and tissues via sialic acid-imprinted nanotags

Sialic acid-imprinted nanotags were designed and synthesized for surface-enhanced Raman scattering for imaging of cancer cells and tissues.

Dual-template docking oriented molecular imprinting: a facile strategy for highly efficient imprinting within mesoporous materials

Molecular imprinting within mesoporous materials is a challenging task. Herein, we present a new strategy, called dual-template docking oriented molecular imprinting (DTD-OMI), for facile and highly efficient imprinting within mesoporous materials.

Template size matched film thickness for effectively in situ surface imprinting: a model study of glycoprotein imprints

For achieving a high imprinting efficiency, the film thickness should be compatible with the geometric size of fixed templates.

Selective extraction based on poly(MAA-VB-EGMDA) monolith followed by HPLC for determination of hordenine in plasma and urine samples

Hordenine is an active compound found in several foods, herbs and beer. In this work, a novel sorbent was fabricated for selective solid-phase extraction (SPE) of hordenine in biological samples. The organic polymer sorbent was synthesized in one step in the plastic barrel of a syringe by a pre-polymerization solution consisting of methacrylic acid (MAA), 4-vinylphenylboronic acid (VB) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). The conditions for preparation were optimized to generate a poly(MAA-VB-EGMDA) monolith with good permeability. The monolith exhibited good enrichment efficiency towards hordenine. By using tyramine as the internal standard, a poly(MAA-VB-EGMDA)-based SPE-HPLC method was established for analysis of hordenine. Conditions for SPE, including volume of eluting solvent, pH of sample solution, sampling rate and sample volume, were optimized. The proposed SPE-HPLC method presented good linearity (R(2)  = 0.9992) within 10-2000 ng/mL and the detection limits was 3 ng/mL, which is significantly more sensitive than reported methods. The method was also applied in plasma and urine samples; good capability of removing matrices was observed, while hordenine in low content was well extracted and enriched. The recoveries were from 90.6 to 94.7% and from 89.3 to 91.5% for the spiked plasma and urine samples, respectively, with the relative standard deviations <4.7%.

Self-oriented nanoparticles for site-selective immunoglobulin G recognition via epitope imprinting approach

Molecular imprinting is a polymerization technique that provides synthetic analogs for template molecules. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have gained much attention due to their unique properties such as selectivity and specificity for target molecules. In this study, we focused on the development of polymeric materials with molecular recognition ability, so molecular imprinting was combined with miniemulsion polymerization to synthesize self-orienting nanoparticles through the use of an epitope imprinting approach. Thus, L-lysine imprinted nanoparticles (LMIP) were synthesized via miniemulsion polymerization technique. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) was then bound to the cavities that specifically formed for L-lysine molecules that are typically found at the C-terminus of the Fc region of antibody molecules. The resulting nanoparticles makes it possible to minimize the nonspecific interaction between monomer and template molecules. In addition, the orientation of the entire IgG molecule was controlled, and random imprinting of the IgG was prevented. The optimum conditions were determined for IgG recognition using the imprinted nanoparticles. The selectivity of the nanoparticles against IgG molecules was also evaluated using albumin and hemoglobin as competitor molecules. In order to show the self-orientation capability of imprinted nanoparticles, human serum albumin (HSA) adsorption onto both the plain nanoparticles and immobilized nanoparticles by anti-human serum albumin antibody (anti-HSA antibody) was also carried out. Due to anti-HSA antibody immobilization on the imprinted nanoparticles, the adsorption capability of nanoparticles against HSA molecules vigorously enhanced. It is proved that the oriented immobilization of antibodies was appropriately succeeded.

Insights into the effect of nanoconfinement on molecular interactions

Being confined within nanoscale space, substances may exhibit unique physicochemical properties. The effect of nanoconfinement on molecular interactions is of significance, but a sound understanding has not been established yet. Here we present a quantitative study on boronate affinity (covalent) and electrostatic (non-covalent) interactions confined within mesoporous silica. We show that both interactions were enhanced by the confinement and that the enhancement depended on the closeness of the interacting location, as well as on the difference between the pore size and the molecular size. The overall enhancement could reach 3 orders of magnitude.

Combination of surface imprinting and immobilized template techniques for preparation of core-shell molecularly imprinted polymers based on directly amino-modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles for specific recognition of bovine hemoglobin

In this work, the core-shell bovine hemoglobin (BHb)-imprinted superparamagnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@BHb-MIPs) were synthesized by combining for the first time a surface imprinting technique and a two-step immobilized template strategy. Initially, amino-functionalized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@NH₂) were synthesized directly through a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. Next, BHb was immobilized on the surface of Fe₃O₄@NH₂ through non-covalent interactions. Then, siloxane co-polymerization on the Fe₃O₄@NH₂-protein complex surface resulted in a polymeric network molded around BHb which then became further immobilized. Finally, a thin polymer layer with specific recognition cavities for BHb was formed on the surface of Fe₃O₄@NH₂ after the removal of the template protein. The morphology and structure property of the prepared magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). To obtain the best selectivity and binding performance, the polymerization and adsorption conditions were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the Fe₃O₄@BHb-MIPs exhibited fast adsorption kinetics, large binding capacity, significant selectivity, and favorable reproducibility. The resultant Fe₃O₄@BHb-MIPs could not only specifically extract BHb from a mixed standard protein mixture, but also selectively enriched BHb from a real bovine blood sample. In addition, the synthetic process was quite simple and the stability and regeneration of the Fe₃O₄@BHb-MIPs were also satisfactory.

Facile synthesis of ionic liquid functionalized silica-capped CdTe quantum dots for selective recognition and detection of hemoproteins

Novel ionic liquid functionalized silica-capped CdTe quantum dots were fabricated and used for the selective recognition and detection of hemoproteins.

Nanoconfining affinity materials for pH-mediated protein capture–release

Based on the nanoconfinement effect, two new affinity materials that have a pH-responsive capture–release ability for proteins were developed.