Surface-Imprinted Polyurethane Having Affinity Sites for Ampicillin

Use of thioglycerol on porous polyurethane as an effective theranostic capping agent for bone tissue engineering

Thiolated biodegradable polyurethane (TG-DPU) was synthesized using a one-pot reaction with thioglycerol adopted as a functionalized chain extender. After characterization of the chemical structure of TG-DPU using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) was loaded in the TG-DPU under oxidative conditions to form disulfides between the free thiol of TG-DPU and BMP-2. The interaction between TG-DPU and BMP-2, so-called bioconjugates, was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis; the appearance of disulfide (S–S) linkage indicated the formation of a polymer/growth factor conjugate system. The covalently linked bioconjugates provided stability with minimal loss during the drug delivery with prolonged release performance in in vitro release tests. The effects of the drugs delivered by TG-DPU were also confirmed by in vitro alkaline phosphatase tests using pre-osteoblasts and in vivo bone regeneration tests. The drugs effectively induced cell differentiation and promoted mature bone recovery.

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.

Preliminary evaluation of molecular imprinting of 5-fluorouracil within hydrogels for use as drug delivery systems

Molecular imprinting is a new and rapidly evolving technique used to create synthetic receptors and it possesses great potential in a number of applications in the life sciences. Keeping in mind the therapeutic importance of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and the technological significance of molecular imprinting polymers, the present study is an attempt to synthesize 2-hydroxyethylmetacrylate- and acrylic acid-based 5-FU imprinted hydrogels. For the synthesis of these hydrogels, N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide was used as a crosslinker, ammonium persulfate as an initiator and N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine as an accelerator. Both molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) and non-imprinted polymers were synthesized at the optimum crosslinker concentration obtained from swelling studies and used to study their recognition affinity, their swelling and the in vitro release dynamics of the drug. It was observed from this study that the recognition affinity of MIPs is increased when these are synthesized in a high concentration template solution.

Identification of salicylic acid using surface modified polyurethane film using an imprinted layer of polyaniline

The surface of polyurethane (PU) was modified by coating a thin layer of polyaniline (PAN) by oxidizing aniline using ammonium persulfate. Affinity sites for salicylic acid (SA) were created in the coated layer by non-covalent imprinting method. The imprinted layer adsorbed SA five times more compared to the nonimprinted surface reflecting the creation of affinity sites specific to SA on the surface. The equilibrium was attained relatively faster indicating that a material of this kind is suitable for sensing applications. The selectivity in recognizing the print molecule by the imprinted surface was assessed by comparing the extent of uptake of other structurally resembling molecules namely O-amino benzoic acid and acetyl salicylic acid. The selectivity factor was found to be 22 and 16.5. The adsorbed SA was detected using the technique of Fourier transform attenuated total internal reflection infrared spectroscopy (FT-ATR-IR). The results show that molecularly imprinted surface in combination with FT-IR is a useful approach for the sensing applications.

Imprinted soft contact lenses as norfloxacin delivery systems

Soft contact lenses are receiving an increasing attention not only for correcting mild ametropia but also as drug delivery devices. To provide poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate), PHEMA, lenses with the ability to load norfloxacin (NRF) and to control its release, functional monomers were carefully chosen and then spatially ordered applying the molecular imprinting technology. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) studies revealed that maximum binding interaction between NRF and acrylic acid (AA) occurs at a 1:1, and that the process saturates at 1:4 molar ratio. Hydrogels were synthesized using different NRF:AA molar ratios (1:2 to 1:16), at two fix AA total concentrations (100 and 200 mM), and using moulds of different thicknesses (0.4 and 0.9 mm). The cross-linker molar concentration was 1.6 times that of AA. Control (non-imprinted) hydrogels were prepared similarly but with the omission of NRF. All hydrogels showed a similar degree of swelling (55%) and, once hydrated, presented adequate optical and viscoelastic properties. After immersion in 0.025, 0.050 and 0.10 mM drug solutions, imprinted hydrogels loaded greater amounts of NRF than the non-imprinted ones. Imprinted hydrogels synthesized using NRF:AA 1:3 and 1:4 molar ratios showed the greatest ability to control the release process, sustaining it for more than 24 h. These results prove that ITC is a useful tool for the optimization of the structure of the imprinted cavities in order to obtain efficient therapeutic soft contact lenses.