Evaluation of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate as comonomer in the preparation of water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers for triazinic herbicides

Current Trends in Molecular Imprinting: Strategies, Applications and Determination of Target Molecules in Spain

Over the last decades, an increasing demand for new specific molecular recognition elements has emerged in order to improve analytical methods that have already been developed in order to reach the detection/quantification limits of target molecules. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have molecular recognition abilities provided by the presence of a template molecule during their synthesis, and they are excellent materials with high selectivity for sample preparation. These synthetic polymers are relatively easy to prepare, and they can also be an excellent choice in the substitution of antibodies or enzymes in different kinds of assays. They have been properly applied to the development of chromatographic or solid-phase extraction methods and have also been successfully applied as electrochemical, piezoelectrical, and optical sensors, as well as in the catalysis process. Nevertheless, new formats of polymerization can also provide new applications for these materials. This paper provides a comprehensive comparison of the new challenges in molecular imprinting as materials of the future in Spain.

Cytotoxicity and Apoptotic Mechanism of 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate via Genotoxicity and the Mitochondrial-Dependent Intrinsic Caspase Pathway and Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation in Macrophages

Macrophages are mainly active cells of the immune system and play a role in the defense of pathogens. However, the overactivation of macrophages by fatal pathogens can result in toxic responses. 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), which is a hydrophilic monomer, is used in dental adhesive reagents and composite resins as well as biocompatible hydrogels. The mechanisms underlying the genotoxicity engendered by HEMA-induced apoptosis that leads to cytotoxicity remain unclear. Accordingly, this study was conducted to clarify such mechanisms. The results showed that HEMA induced cell toxicity in RAW264.7 macrophages depending on the concentration. A higher HEMA concentration was associated with a higher level of apoptosis and genotoxicity. Moreover, HEMA induced a concentration-dependent increase in mitochondrial dysfunction and the intrinsic caspase pathway, including the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. HEMA was also found to upregulate intracellular reactive oxygen species generation and to decrease the activity of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase and catalase. Taken together, the mitochondrial-dependent intrinsic caspase pathway and intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation were found to mediate HEMA-induced genotoxicity and apoptosis, leading to cytotoxicity in RAW264.7 macrophages.