Macroporous molecularly imprinted monolithic polymer columns for protein recognition by liquid chromatography

Molecularly imprinted monoliths: Recent advances in the selective recognition of biomacromolecules related biomarkers

Biomarkers are significant indicators to assist the early diagnosis of diseases and assess the therapeutic response. However, due to the low-abundance of biomarkers in complex biological fluids, it is highly desirable to explore efficient techniques to attain their selective recognition and capture before the detection. Molecularly imprinted monoliths integrate the high selectivity of imprinted polymers and the rapid convective mass transport of monoliths, and as a result are promising candidates to achieve the specific enrichment of biomarkers from complex samples. This review summarizes the various imprinting approaches for the preparation of molecularly imprinted monoliths. The state-of-art advances as an effective platform for applications in the selective capture of biomacromolecules related biomarkers were also outlined. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Affinity monolith chromatography: A review of general principles and recent developments

Affinity monolith chromatography (AMC) is a liquid chromatographic technique that utilizes a monolithic support with a biological ligand or related binding agent to isolate, enrich, or detect a target analyte in a complex matrix. The target-specific interaction exhibited by the binding agents makes AMC attractive for the separation or detection of a wide range of compounds. This article will review the basic principles of AMC and recent developments in this field. The supports used in AMC will be discussed, including organic, inorganic, hybrid, carbohydrate, and cryogel monoliths. Schemes for attaching binding agents to these monoliths will be examined as well, such as covalent immobilization, biospecific adsorption, entrapment, molecular imprinting, and coordination methods. An overview will then be given of binding agents that have recently been used in AMC, along with their applications. These applications will include bioaffinity chromatography, immunoaffinity chromatography, immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography, and dye-ligand or biomimetic affinity chromatography. The use of AMC in chiral separations and biointeraction studies will also be discussed.

Construction of shape memorable imprinted cavities for protein recognition using oligo-l-lysine-based peptide crosslinker

Protein-imprinted polymers are artificial receptors capable of recognizing protein. They are highly promising for applications in important bio-related areas, however, their development was severely retarded by two problems: difficult template removal and low imprinting efficiency. The two problems could be overcome by constructing shape-memorable imprinted cavities using peptide crosslinker. Here a new oligo-l-lysine-based peptide crosslinker was designed and synthesized. A novel cytochrome c (Cyt C)-imprinted polymer was synthesized using the new peptide crosslinker. When switching pH between 12 and 7.4, the peptide segments incorporated in the polymer underwent reversible helix-coil transition. Because of the precise folding of the peptide segments, the imprinted cavities in the polymer could be enlarged when lowering pH to 7.4 to release the template protein, but restore their original size and shape at pH 12 to recognize the template protein. Therefore complete template removal was achieved under mild conditions. Meanwhile the imprinting efficiency was improved significantly. Compared to polymer crosslinked with the commonly used crosslinker N, N-methylenebisacrylamide, the imprinting efficiency of the peptide-crosslinked polymer was increased by 15 times. The new imprinted polymer presented not only a high adsorption capacity (454.4 mgg^-1), a high imprinting factor (6.3), high selectivity towards Cyt C, and excellent reusability, but also could preserve the fragile secondary structure of the eluted protein, and therefore had high potential in bioseparation. As a demonstration, Cyt C added into fetal bovine serum was separated from the sample using the polymer via a simple adsorption-desorption cycle. The recovery rate was as high as 92.7%.

Preparation and evaluation of a green solvent-based molecularly imprinted monolithic column for the recognition of proteins by high-performance liquid chromatography

A protein-based molecularly imprinted monolithic column was synthesized based on ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) in a stainless steel column (50 mm × 4.6 mm id).

Advances in the development of molecularly imprinted polymers for the separation and analysis of proteins with liquid chromatography

This review documents recent advances in the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of molecularly imprinted polymers in the form of monoliths and particles/beads for the use in the separation and analysis of proteins with solid-phase extraction or liquid chromatography. The merits of three-dimensional molecular imprinting, whereby the molecular template is randomly embedded in the polymer, and two-dimensional imprinting, in which the template is confined to the surface, are described. Target protein binding can be achieved by either using the entire protein as a template or by using a protein substructure as template, that is, a peptide, as in the "epitope" approach. The intended approach and strategy then determine the choice of polymerization method. A synopsis has been provided on methods used for the physical, chemical, and functional characterizations and associated performance evaluations of molecularly imprinted and nonimprinted control polymers, involving a diverse range of analytical techniques commonly used for low and high molecular mass analytes. Examples of recent applications demonstrate that, due to the versatility of imprinting methods, molecularly imprinted monoliths or particles/beads can be adapted to protein extraction/depletion and separation procedures relevant to, for example, protein biomarker detection and quantification in biomedical diagnostics and targeted proteomics.

Molecular imprinting: perspectives and applications

This critical review presents a survey of recent developments in technologies and strategies for the preparation of MIPs, followed by the application of MIPs in sample pretreatment, chromatographic separation and chemical sensing.

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.

Molecularly imprinted polymers for separating and sensing of macromolecular compounds and microorganisms

The present review article focuses on gathering, summarizing, and critically evaluating the results of the last decade on separating and sensing macromolecular compounds and microorganisms with the use of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) synthetic receptors. Macromolecules play an important role in biology and are termed that way to contrast them from micromolecules. The former are large and complex molecules with relatively high molecular weights. The article mainly considers chemical sensing of deoxyribonucleic acids (DNAs), proteins and protein fragments as well as sugars and oligosaccharides. Moreover, it briefly discusses fabrication of chemosensors for determination of bacteria and viruses that can ultimately be considered as extremely large macromolecules.

Molecular imprinting science and technology: a survey of the literature for the years 2004-2011

Herein, we present a survey of the literature covering the development of molecular imprinting science and technology over the years 2004-2011. In total, 3779 references to the original papers, reviews, edited volumes and monographs from this period are included, along with recently identified uncited materials from prior to 2004, which were omitted in the first instalment of this series covering the years 1930-2003. In the presentation of the assembled references, a section presenting reviews and monographs covering the area is followed by sections describing fundamental aspects of molecular imprinting including the development of novel polymer formats. Thereafter, literature describing efforts to apply these polymeric materials to a range of application areas is presented. Current trends and areas of rapid development are discussed.

Modulation of direct electron transfer of cytochrome c by use of a molecularly imprinted thin film

We describe the preparation of a molecularly imprinted polymer film (MIP) on top of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) on gold, where the template cytochrome c (cyt c) participates in direct electron transfer (DET) with the underlying electrode. To enable DET, a non-conductive polymer film is electrodeposited from an aqueous solution of scopoletin and cyt c on to the surface of a gold electrode previously modified with MUA. The electroactive surface concentration of cyt c was 0.5 pmol cm(-2). In the absence of the MUA layer, no cyt c DET was observed and the pseudo-peroxidatic activity of the scopoletin-entrapped protein, assessed via oxidation of Ampliflu red in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, was only 30% of that for the MIP on MUA. This result indicates that electrostatic adsorption of cyt c by the MUA-SAM substantially increases the surface concentration of cyt c during the electrodeposition step, and is a prerequisite for the productive orientation required for DET. After template removal by treatment with sulfuric acid, rebinding of cyt c to the MUA-MIP-modified electrode occurred with an affinity constant of 100,000 mol(-1) L, a value three times higher than that determined by use of fluorescence titration for the interaction between scopoletin and cyt c in solution. The DET of cyt c in the presence of myoglobin, lysozyme, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) reveals that the MIP layer suppresses the effect of competing proteins.

Protein-imprinted materials: rational design, application and challenges

Protein imprinting is a promising tool for generating artificial biomimetic receptors with antibody-like specific recognition sites. Recently, protein-imprinted materials, as potential antibody substitutes, have attracted much attention in many fields, for example chemical sensors, chromatographic stationary phases, and artificial enzymes, owing to their long-term storage stability, potential re-usability, resistance to harsh environment, and low cost. In this critical review, we focus our discussion on the rational preparation of protein-imprinted materials in terms of choice of template, functional monomer, crosslinker, and polymerization format. In addition, several highlighted applications of protein-imprinted materials are emphasized, not only in well-known fields but also in some unique fields, for example proteomics and tissue engineering. Finally, we propose challenges arising from the intrinsic properties of protein imprinting, for example obtaining the template, heterogeneous binding, and extrinsic competition, for example immobilized aptamers.