Electrochemical evaluation of troponin T imprinted polymer receptor

A reagentless molecularly imprinted polymer-based electrochemical biosensor for single-step detection of troponin I in biofluids

Reagentless molecular-imprinted polymer (MIP) electrochemical biosensors can offer the next generation of biosensing platforms for the detection of biomarkers owing to their simplicity, cost-efficacy, tunability, robustness, and accuracy. In this work, a novel combination of Prussian blue (PB), coated as an embedded redox probe on a gold working electrode (GWE), and a signal-off MIP assay has been proposed in an electrochemical format for the detection of troponin I (TnI) in biofluids. TnI is a variant exclusive to heart muscles, and its elevated level in the bloodstream is indicative of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The proposed lab-manufactured PB/MIP electrochemical biosensor, consisting of a simple signal-off MIP assay and a PB redox probe embedded on the GWE surface, is the first of its kind that allows for reagentless, label-free, and single-step electrochemical biosensing of proteins. The preparation steps of the biosensor were fully characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Raman spectroscopy. Finally, the performance of the optimized biosensor was investigated through the determination of various concentrations of TnI, ranging from 10 to 100 pg mL-1 within 5 min, in serum and plasma with limits of detection less than 3.6 pg mL-1, and evaluation of selectivity towards TnI using some relevant proteins that exist in biofluids with higher concentrations.

Protein-imprinted polymers: How far have "plastic antibodies" come?

Antibodies are highly selective and sensitive, making them the gold standard for recognition affinity tools. However, their production cost is high and their downstream processing is time-consuming. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made by incorporating specific molecular recognition sites in their structure, thus translating into receptor-like activity mode of action. The interest in molecular imprinting technology, applied to biomacromolecules, has increased in the past decade. MIPs, produced using biomolecules as templates, commonly referred to as "plastic antibodies" or "artificial receptors", have been considered as suitable cheaper and easy to produce alternatives to antibodies. Research on MIPs, designed to recognize proteins or peptides is particularly important, with potential contributions towards biomedical applications, namely biosensors and targeted drug delivery systems. This mini review will cover recent advances on (bio)molecular imprinting technology, where proteins or peptides are targeted or mimicked for sensing and therapeutic applications. Polymerization methods are reviewed elsewhere, being out of the scope of this review. Template selection and immobilization approaches, monomers and applications will be discussed, highlighting possible drawbacks and gaps in research.

Development of an MIP based electrochemical sensor for TGF-β1 detection and its application in liquid biopsy

Oral cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in Europe and its large diffusion requires, together with prevention, the development of low-cost and reliable portable platforms for its diagnosis, with features of high selectivity and sensitivity. In this study, the development and characterization of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based electrochemical sensor for TGF-β1 detection are reported. The optimized biosensor is a potential tool for the early screening of oral cancer. A biomimetic surface has been obtained by electropolymerization of o-phenylenediamine (o-PD) on platinum electrodes, in the presence of TGF-β1 as a template molecule. MIP synthesis, template removal and TGF-β1 rebinding have been monitored by Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV). Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has been performed to investigate and characterize the surface morphology and the influence of the washing step on MIP and NIP (non-imprinted polymer as the control) while the thickness of the polymer layer has been measured by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) analysis. The MIP sensor performance has been tested in both buffer solution and saliva samples with TGF-β1, showing a linear response in the considered range (from 20 ng ml-1 down to 0.5 ng ml-1), an outstanding LOD of 0.09 ng mL-1 and affinity and selectivity to TGF-β1 also in the presence of interfering molecules. The sensor was used also for the detection of target molecules in spiked saliva samples with good recovery results suggesting the possibility of the use of the proposed system for large scale fast screening in oral cancer diagnosis.

Electrochemical sensor based on bio-inspired molecularly imprinted polymer for sofosbuvir detection

The electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) have enabled the utilization of various functional monomers with superior selective recognition of the target analyte template. Methyldopa is an attractive synthetic dopamine analogue which has phenolic, carboxylic, and aminic functional groups. In this research, methyldopa was exploited to fabricate selective MIPs, for the detection of sofosbuvir (SFB), by a simple electropolymerization step onto a disposable pencil graphite electrode (PGE) substrate. The interaction between methyldopa, as a functional monomer, and a template has been investigated experimentally by UV spectroscopy. A polymethyldopa (PMD) polymer was electrografted onto PGE in the presence of SFB as a template. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (ESI), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were used for the characterization of the fabricated sensor. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) of a ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox probe was employed to indirectly detect the SFB binding to the MIP cavities. The sensor shows a reproducible and linear response over a dynamic linear range from 1.0 × 10-11 M to 1.0 × 10-13 M of SFB with a limit of detection of 3.1 × 10-14 M. The sensor showed high selectivity for the target drug over structurally similar and co-administered interfering drugs, and this enabled its application to detect SFB in its pharmaceutical dosage form and in spiked human plasma samples.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Sensors for the Detection of Skeletal- and Cardiac-Muscle-Related Analytes

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic polymers with specific binding sites that present high affinity and spatial and chemical complementarities to a targeted analyte. They mimic the molecular recognition seen naturally in the antibody/antigen complementarity. Because of their specificity, MIPs can be included in sensors as a recognition element coupled to a transducer part that converts the interaction of MIP/analyte into a quantifiable signal. Such sensors have important applications in the biomedical field in diagnosis and drug discovery, and are a necessary complement of tissue engineering for analyzing the functionalities of the engineered tissues. Therefore, in this review, we provide an overview of MIP sensors that have been used for the detection of skeletal- and cardiac-muscle-related analytes. We organized this review by targeted analytes in alphabetical order. Thus, after an introduction to the fabrication of MIPs, we highlight different types of MIP sensors with an emphasis on recent works and show their great diversity, their fabrication, their linear range for a given analyte, their limit of detection (LOD), specificity, and reproducibility. We conclude the review with future developments and perspectives.

Molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor for the ultrasensitive detection of cytochrome c

Cytochrome c (Cyt c) is an important biomarker for the early stage of apoptosis that plays a role in the diagnosis and therapy of several diseases including cancer. Here, an electrochemical sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the ultrasensitive detection of Cyt c is studied. It is prepared by electropolymerization of o-phenylenediamine in the presence of Cyt c as template, followed by solvent extraction, resulting in the formation of Cyt c recognition sites. The MIP is characterised by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry, using ferrocenecarboxylic acid as redox probe. Voltammetric data indicates that the MIP-sensor behaves as an electrode with partially blocked surface. The partition isotherm obtained fits the Langmuir model, indicating a high affinity for Cyt c, with an association constant K_a = 5 × 10 ¹¹ M^-1. DPV measurements allow to achieve extremely high analytical sensitivity and low detection limit, in the femtomolar range, with negligible unspecific adsorption. Satisfactory analytical recovery tests performed in the presence of possible interfering proteins and in diluted human serum confirmed the selectivity of the MIP-sensor as well as its potential applicability for real samples analysis.

Development of molecularly imprinted polymer based phase boundaries for sensors design (review)

Achievements in polymer chemistry enables to design artificial phase boundaries modified by imprints of selected molecules and some larger structures. These structures seem very useful for the design of new materials suitable for affinity chromatography and sensors. In this review, we are overviewing the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and the applicability of these MIPs in the design of affinity sensors. Such MIP-based layers or particles can be used as analyte-recognizing parts for sensors and in some cases they can replace very expensive compounds (e.g.: antibodies, receptors etc.), which are recognizing analyte. Many different polymers can be used for the formation of MIPs, but conducing polymers shows the most attractive capabilities for molecular-imprinting by various chemical compounds. Therefore, the application of conducting polymers (e.g.: polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), and ortho-phenylenediamine) seems very promising. Polypyrrole is one of the most suitable for the development of MIP-based structures with molecular imprints by analytes of various molecular weights. Overoxiation of polypyrrole enables to increase the selectivity of polypyrrole-based MIPs. Methods used for the synthesis of conducting polymer based MIPs are overviewed. Some methods, which are applied for the transduction of analytical signal, are discussed, and challenges and new trends in MIP-technology are foreseen.

Electrochemical sensing of macromolecules based on molecularly imprinted polymers: challenges, successful strategies, and opportunities

Looking at the literature focused on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for protein, it soon becomes apparent that a remarkable increase in scientific interest and exploration of new applications has been recorded in the last several years, from 42 documents in 2011 to 128 just 10 years later, in 2021 (Scopus, December 2021). Such a rapid threefold increase in the number of works in this field is evidence that the imprinting of macromolecules no longer represents a distant dream of optimistic imprinters, as it was perceived until only a few years ago, but is rapidly becoming an ever more promising and reliable technology, due to the significant achievements in the field. The present critical review aims to summarize some of them, evidencing the aspects that have contributed to the success of the most widely used strategies in the field. At the same time, limitations and drawbacks of less frequently used approaches are critically discussed. Particular focus is given to the use of a MIP for protein in the assembly of electrochemical sensors. Sensor design indeed represents one of the most active application fields of imprinting technology, with electrochemical MIP sensors providing the broadest spectrum of protein analytes among the different sensor configurations.

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Electrochemically Deposited Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Sensors

This review is dedicated to the development of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and the application of MIPs in sensor design. MIP-based biological recognition parts can replace receptors or antibodies, which are rather expensive. Conducting polymers show unique properties that are applicable in sensor design. Therefore, MIP-based conducting polymers, including polypyrrole, polythiophene, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), polyaniline and ortho-phenylenediamine are frequently applied in sensor design. Some other materials that can be molecularly imprinted are also overviewed in this review. Among many imprintable materials conducting polymer, polypyrrole is one of the most suitable for molecular imprinting of various targets ranging from small organics up to rather large proteins. Some attention in this review is dedicated to overview methods applied to design MIP-based sensing structures. Some attention is dedicated to the physicochemical methods applied for the transduction of analytical signals. Expected new trends and horizons in the application of MIP-based structures are also discussed.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer/Anodic Aluminum Oxide Nanocomposite Sensing Electrode for Low-Concentration Troponin T Detection for Patient Monitoring Applications

Various clinical studies have shown that myocardial troponin T (cTnT) is highly correlated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A highly sensitive molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensing electrode for the detection of cTnT in patients' blood serum can enable cost-effective, rapid, and real-time testing for patients requiring intensive care. However, the existing MIP-based sensing electrode does not perform well for low-concentration detection of cTnT (<0.2 ng/mL). In this study, a new type of sensing electrode, an anodic aluminum oxide molecularly imprinted (MIP/AAO) nanocomposite electrode is developed. By incorporating the AAO structure, i.e., one-dimensional (1D) pillars, through a semiconductor-compatible process, the new electrode exhibits a great performance improvement, higher sensitivity of 1.08 × 10^-4 and 4.25 × 10^-4 in the low (<0.03 ng/mL)- and high-concentration regions, respectively, and a lower limit of detection (LoD) of 5.34 pg/mL. Because the composite electrode can maintain a linear characteristic in the measurement range of low-concentration cTnT, it can effectively improve the accuracy and reduce the error in cTnT measurement. In addition, the novel sensing electrode exhibits good reusability and specificity.

Hosseini I, Raeissi K, Karimzadeh F, Jalali M, Kharaziha M, Sheibani S, Shariati L, Presley JF, Vali H, Mahshid S. Gold Nano/Micro-Islands Overcome the Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Limitations to Achieve Ultrasensitive Protein Detection

Here, we report on an electrochemical biosensor based on core-shell structure of gold nano/micro-islands (NMIs) and electropolymerized imprinted ortho-phenylenediamine (o-PD) for detection of heart-fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP). The shape and distribution of NMIs (the core) were tuned by controlled electrodeposition of gold on a thin layer of electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO). NMIs feature a large active surface area to achieve a low detection limit (2.29 fg mL^-1, a sensitivity of 1.34 × 10¹³ μA mM^-1) and a wide linear range of detection (1 fg mL^-1 to 100 ng mL^-1) in PBS. Facile template H-FABP removal from the layer (the shell) in less than 1 min, high specificity against interference from myoglobin and troponin T, great stability at ambient temperature, and rapidity in detection of H-FABP (approximately 30 s) are other advantages of this biomimetic biosensor. The electrochemical measurements in human serum, human plasma, and bovine serum showed acceptable recovery (between 91.1 ± 1.7 and 112.9 ± 2.1%) in comparison with the ELISA method. Moreover, the performance of the biosensor in clinical serum showed lower detection time and limit of detection against lateral flow assay (LFA) rapid test kits, as a reference method. Ultimately, the proposed biosensor based on the core-shell structure of gold NMIs and MIP opens interesting avenues in the detection of proteins with low cost, high sensitivity and significantstability for clinical applications.

Advances in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Based Affinity Sensors (Review)

Recent challenges in biomedical diagnostics show that the development of rapid affinity sensors is very important issue. Therefore, in this review we are aiming to outline the most important directions of affinity sensors where polymer-based semiconducting materials are applied. Progress in formation and development of such materials is overviewed and discussed. Some applicability aspects of conducting polymers in the design of affinity sensors are presented. The main attention is focused on bioanalytical application of conducting polymers such as polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) ortho-phenylenediamine. In addition, some other polymers and inorganic materials that are suitable for molecular imprinting technology are also overviewed. Polymerization techniques, which are the most suitable for the development of composite structures suitable for affinity sensors are presented. Analytical signal transduction methods applied in affinity sensors based on polymer-based semiconducting materials are discussed. In this review the most attention is focused on the development and application of molecularly imprinted polymer-based structures, which can replace antibodies, receptors, and many others expensive affinity reagents. The applicability of electrochromic polymers in affinity sensor design is envisaged. Sufficient biocompatibility of some conducting polymers enables to apply them as "stealth coatings" in the future implantable affinity-sensors. Some new perspectives and trends in analytical application of polymer-based semiconducting materials are highlighted.

A Cardiac Troponin T Biosensor Based on Aptamer Self-assembling on Gold

In this study, a sensitive and accurate aptasensor was designed for early detection of myocardial infarction through the determination of troponin T (TnT). The successful immobilization of a specific aptamer sequence on the surface of gold that had a high affinity toward TnT was accomplished. TnT was electrochemically quantified. The results indicated that the aptasensor detected TnT in a range of 0.05-5 ng mL, and with a detection limit of 0.01 ng/mL. The performance of the aptasensor was investigated by analyzing 99 human serum samples. Both diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of the aptasensor were found to be 95%. The use of the designed aptamer-based biosensor could be an essential achievement in health policy, preventing deaths caused by myocardial infarction, and reducing patients with heart failure. The extensive use of this aptamer-based biosensor can also reduce costs, enhance speed, and improve accuracy in the diagnosis of TnT as an important myocardial infarction biomarker.

Molecularly Imprinted Electrochemical Sensors: Analytical and Pharmaceutical Applications Based on Ortho-Phenylenediamine Polymerization

Background:

The molecular imprinting technique has been applied in many fields including separation, artificial antibody mimics, catalysis, sensing studies, and drug delivery. The reasons for the popularity of this technique among the researchers are high selectivity due to the cavities that are formed on the polymer surface for the specific analyte, high robustness, high durability under extreme conditions and low cost. When these advantages are combined with the advantages of electrochemical methods such as rapid response time, ease of use, cheapness and miniaturizability, Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP) based electrochemical sensors turn out to be a widely-preferred sensing tool.

Objective:

This article provides the reader with information on MIP-based electrochemical sensors and reviews the applications of the MIP sensors prepared by electropolymerization of orthophenylenediamine, a monomer whose mechanical and chemical stability is very high.

Results and Conclusion:

The literature survey summarized in this review shows that cyclic voltammetry is the most widely preferred electrochemical technique for electropolymerization of o-PD. The media chosen is generally acetate or phosphate buffers with different pH values. Although there are numerous solvents used for template removal, generally methanol and NaOH have been chosen.

Study of horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide bi-analyte sensor with boronate affinity-based molecularly imprinted film

A novel electrochemical horseradish peroxidase (HRP) sensor was developed based on boronate affinity-based electropolymerized polythionine (PTh) molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as specific recognition element for HRP on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified glassy carbon electrode, in which PTh acted as the electrochemical probe for the sensor. The sensor was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and electron dispersive spectroscopy. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and differential pulse voltammetry were exploited for the study of the properties of the MIP sensor. The MIP sensor exhibited excellent linear response over the range of 2.0 × 10−10 mg/mL ∼ 1.0 × 10−7 mg/mL for HRP. In addition, with MIP film as HRP immobilized matrices, the sensor for the detection of H2O2 was developed with the MIP sensor based on the reduction of H2O2 catalyzed by HRP in the presence of electron mediator PTh. The sensor showed linear relationships between the current response and H2O2 concentration from 6.0 × 10−7 to 2.0 × 10−5 mol/L. HRP and H2O2 bi-analyte sensor based on MIP film was successfully developed in this work. The developed method can also be applicable for enzyme and its enzymatic substrate bi-analyte sensor.

Evaluation of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Point-of-Care Testing for Cardiovascular Disease

Molecular imprinting is a rapidly growing area of interest involving the synthesis of artificial recognition elements that enable the separation of analyte from a sample matrix and its determination. Traditionally, this approach can be successfully applied to small analyte (<1.5 kDa) separation/ extraction, but, more recently it is finding utility in biomimetic sensors. These sensors consist of a recognition element and a transducer similar to their biosensor counterparts, however, the fundamental distinction is that biomimetic sensors employ an artificial recognition element. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) employed as the recognition elements in biomimetic sensors contain binding sites complementary in shape and functionality to their target analyte. Despite the growing interest in molecularly imprinting techniques, the commercial adoption of this technology is yet to be widely realised for blood sample analysis. This review aims to assess the applicability of this technology for the point-of-care testing (POCT) of cardiovascular disease-related biomarkers. More specifically, molecular imprinting is critically evaluated with respect to the detection of cardiac biomarkers indicative of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), such as the cardiac troponins (cTns). The challenges associated with the synthesis of MIPs for protein detection are outlined, in addition to enhancement techniques that ultimately improve the analytical performance of biomimetic sensors. The mechanism of detection employed to convert the analyte concentration into a measurable signal in biomimetic sensors will be discussed. Furthermore, the analytical performance of these sensors will be compared with biosensors and their potential implementation within clinical settings will be considered. In addition, the most suitable application of these sensors for cardiovascular assessment will be presented.

Electrochemical Deposition of Nanomaterials for Electrochemical Sensing

The most commonly used methods to electrodeposit nanomaterials on conductive supports or to obtain electrosynthesis nanomaterials are described. Au, layered double hydroxides (LDHs), metal oxides, and polymers are the classes of compounds taken into account. The electrochemical approach for the synthesis allows one to obtain nanostructures with well-defined morphologies, even without the use of a template, and of variable sizes simply by controlling the experimental synthesis conditions. In fact, parameters such as current density, applied potential (constant, pulsed or ramp) and duration of the synthesis play a key role in determining the shape and size of the resulting nanostructures. This review aims to describe the most recent applications in the field of electrochemical sensors of the considered nanomaterials and special attention is devoted to the analytical figures of merit of the devices.

Recognition of protein biomarkers using epitope-mediated molecularly imprinted films: Histidine or cysteine modified epitopes?

This research aims to engineer molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based synthetic receptors for the molecular recognition of neuron specific enolase (NSE) biomarker. The synthetic peptide derived from the NSE was synthesized along with its cysteine and histidine modified versions. The modified peptides were utilized as templates for molecular imprinting, which was achieved by combination of epitope- and electrochemical surface imprinting strategy. The subsequently generated imprinted cavities were used for the detection of the NSE derived peptide and NSE. The imprints created with cysteine (CME) and histidine modified epitopes (HME) could detect the peptide in a concentration range of 2-128 µM and 15.6 nM to 128 µM, respectively. The recognition of NSE was achieved by the same imprints in a linear range of 1-64 ng mL^-1 (CME) and 0.25-64 ng mL^-1 (HME), respectively. The target molecules bound to the control polymer very weakly, confirming the high selectivity of the MIP cavities. Selectivity studies resulted in imprinting factors of 8.8 and 11 for the CME and HME imprints, respectively. The affinity analyses provided dissociation constants of 2.3 × 10^-10 M and 3 × 10^-11 M for NSE recognition using the corresponding epitope imprints. Cross-reactivity studies with non-specific molecules proved high specificity of the artificial receptors for the targets.

Electrochemosensor for Trace Analysis of Perfluorooctanesulfonate in Water Based on a Molecularly Imprinted Poly( o-phenylenediamine) Polymer

This work is aimed at developing an electrochemical sensor for the sensitive and selective detection of trace levels of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) in water. Contamination of waters by perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) is a problem of global concern due to their suspected toxicity and ability to bioaccumulate. PFOS is the perfluorinated compound of major concern, as it has the lowest suggested control concentrations. The sensor reported here is based on a gold electrode modified with a thin coating of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), prepared by anodic electropolymerization of o-phenylenediamine (o-PD) in the presence of PFOS as the template. Activation of the sensor is achieved by template removal with suitable a solvent mixture. Voltammetry, a quartz crystal microbalance, scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis were used to monitor the electropolymerization process, template removal, and binding of the analyte. Ferrocenecarboxylic acid (FcCOOH) has been exploited as an electrochemical probe able to generate analytically useful voltammetric signals by competing for the binding sites with PFOS, as the latter is not electroactive. The sensor has a low detection limit (0.04 nM), a satisfactory selectivity, and is reproducible and repeatable, giving analytical results in good agreement with those obtained by HPLC-MS/MS analyses.

Recent Advances in Biosensor Development for Foodborne Virus Detection

Outbreaks of foodborne diseases related to fresh produce have been increasing in North America and Europe. Viral foodborne pathogens are poorly understood, suffering from insufficient awareness and surveillance due to the limits on knowledge, availability, and costs of related technologies and devices. Current foodborne viruses are emphasized and newly emerging foodborne viruses are beginning to attract interest. To face current challenges regarding foodborne pathogens, a point-of-care (POC) concept has been introduced to food testing technology and device. POC device development involves technologies such as microfluidics, nanomaterials, biosensors and other advanced techniques. These advanced technologies, together with the challenges in developing foodborne virus detection assays and devices, are described and analysed in this critical review. Advanced technologies provide a path forward for foodborne virus detection, but more research and development will be needed to provide the level of manufacturing capacity required.

MIP-Based Sensors: Promising New Tools for Cancer Biomarker Determination

Detecting cancer disease at an early stage is one of the most important issues for increasing the survival rate of patients. Cancer biomarker detection helps to provide a diagnosis before the disease becomes incurable in later stages. Biomarkers can also be used to evaluate the progression of therapies and surgery treatments. In recent years, molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based sensors have been intensely investigated as promising analytical devices in several fields, including clinical analysis, offering desired portability, fast response, specificity, and low cost. The aim of this review is to provide readers with an overview on recent important achievements in MIP-based sensors coupled to various transducers (e.g., electrochemical, optical, and piezoelectric) for the determination of cancer biomarkers by selected publications from 2012 to 2016.

Imprinting Technology in Electrochemical Biomimetic Sensors

Biosensors are a promising tool offering the possibility of low cost and fast analytical screening in point-of-care diagnostics and for on-site detection in the field. Most biosensors in routine use ensure their selectivity/specificity by including natural receptors as biorecognition element. These materials are however too expensive and hard to obtain for every biochemical molecule of interest in environmental and clinical practice. Molecularly imprinted polymers have emerged through time as an alternative to natural antibodies in biosensors. In theory, these materials are stable and robust, presenting much higher capacity to resist to harsher conditions of pH, temperature, pressure or organic solvents. In addition, these synthetic materials are much cheaper than their natural counterparts while offering equivalent affinity and sensitivity in the molecular recognition of the target analyte. Imprinting technology and biosensors have met quite recently, relying mostly on electrochemical detection and enabling a direct reading of different analytes, while promoting significant advances in various fields of use. Thus, this review encompasses such developments and describes a general overview for building promising biomimetic materials as biorecognition elements in electrochemical sensors. It includes different molecular imprinting strategies such as the choice of polymer material, imprinting methodology and assembly on the transduction platform. Their interface with the most recent nanostructured supports acting as standard conductive materials within electrochemical biomimetic sensors is pointed out.

Molecularly imprinted polymer membranes and thin films for the separation and sensing of biomacromolecules

This review describes recent advances associated with the development of surface imprinting methods for the synthesis of polymeric membranes and thin films, which possess the capability to selectively and specifically recognize biomacromolecules, such as proteins and single- and double-stranded DNA, employing "epitope" or "whole molecule" approaches. Synthetic procedures to create different molecularly imprinted polymer membranes or thin films are discussed, including grafting/in situ polymerization, drop-, dip-, or spin-coating procedures, electropolymerization as well as micro-contact or stamp lithography imprinting methods. Highly sensitive techniques for surface characterization and analyte detection are described, encompassing luminescence and fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance analysis, cyclic voltammetry, and surface plasmon resonance. These developments are providing new avenues to produce bioelectronic sensors and new ways to explore through advanced separation science procedures complex phenomena associated with the origins of biorecognition in nature.

MIPs and Aptamers for Recognition of Proteins in Biomimetic Sensing

Biomimetic binders and catalysts have been generated in order to substitute the biological pendants in separation techniques and bioanalysis. The two major approaches use either "evolution in the test tube" of nucleotides for the preparation of aptamers or total chemical synthesis for molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). The reproducible production of aptamers is a clear advantage, whilst the preparation of MIPs typically leads to a population of polymers with different binding sites. The realization of binding sites in the total bulk of the MIPs results in a higher binding capacity, however, on the expense of the accessibility and exchange rate. Furthermore, the readout of the bound analyte is easier for aptamers since the integration of signal generating labels is well established. On the other hand, the overall negative charge of the nucleotides makes aptamers prone to non-specific adsorption of positively charged constituents of the sample and the "biological" degradation of non-modified aptamers and ionic strength-dependent changes of conformation may be challenging in some application.

Electrosynthesis and binding properties of molecularly imprinted poly-o-phenylenediamine for selective recognition and direct electrochemical detection of myoglobin

Electrosynthesis of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) templated with myoglobin (Mb) and the reference non-imprinted polymer (NIP) was examined with o-phenylenediamine (o-PD) as a monomer. Mass-sensitive quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring supplied by an electrochemical module (EQCM-D) was applied to characterize and optimize MIP/NIP electrosynthesis. Mb rebinding was detected by direct electrocatalytic reduction of Mb by square wave voltammetry (SWV) or differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The results obtained showed high specificity of polymeric antibodies to template Mb, with an imprinting factor determined as a ratio Imax(MIP)/Imax(NIP) of 2-4. The prepared MIP sensor is characterized by an apparent dissociation constant of (3.3±0.5)×10(-9)M and has a broad range of working concentrations of 1nM-1μМ, with the detection limit of 0.5nM (9ng/ml). Mb rebinding was examined in Mb-free diluted human serum spiked with Mb as well as in plasma samples of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and in control plasma of healthy donors in order to demonstrate the potential medical application of developed MIP sensors.

Molecularly Imprinted Electropolymer for a Hexameric Heme Protein with Direct Electron Transfer and Peroxide Electrocatalysis

For the first time a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with direct electron transfer (DET) and bioelectrocatalytic activity of the target protein is presented. Thin films of MIPs for the recognition of a hexameric tyrosine-coordinated heme protein (HTHP) have been prepared by electropolymerization of scopoletin after oriented assembly of HTHP on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) on gold electrodes. Cavities which should resemble the shape and size of HTHP were formed by template removal. Rebinding of the target protein sums up the recognition by non-covalent interactions between the protein and the MIP with the electrostatic attraction of the protein by the SAM. HTHP bound to the MIP exhibits quasi-reversible DET which is reflected by a pair of well pronounced redox peaks in the cyclic voltammograms (CVs) with a formal potential of -184.4 ± 13.7 mV vs. Ag/AgCl (1 M KCl) at pH 8.0 and it was able to catalyze the cathodic reduction of peroxide. At saturation the MIP films show a 12-fold higher electroactive surface concentration of HTHP than the non-imprinted polymer (NIP).

Designing and preparation of ferulic acid surface-imprinted material and its molecular recognition characteristics

Ferulic acid (FA) is a phenolic acid with a styrene-type structure, which has many important bioactive and pharmacological functions.

Molecularly-imprinted polymer sensors: realising their potential

In parallel with recent developments in communications, nanotechnology and materials sciences, there has been extraordinary growth in the area of biosensors, with almost half of the total number of papers ever published (1962-2015) appearing in the last five-years (2010-2015). Molecular imprinting offers a route to the creation of specific and selective cavities in a 3D-polymeric network, which are complementary not only to the size and shape of a target species, but also provide interaction points and a coordination sphere around the template molecule. Given the challenges facing biosensor technologists, it is natural that this approach to create potentially highly stable synthetic ligands as an alternative to, or to compliment natural receptors, should emerge as a key line of interdisciplinary research. Despite the profuse amount of recent literature on molecularly-imprinted polymers (MIPs) and some limited commercial activity, these promising materials still need to overcome some limitations before taking their place in analytical market. In this review, we have focused on the most promising advances in MIP-based biosensors to illustrate how close to market they really are. We present our material under five main sections covering computational design, polymerisation strategies, material combinations, recent sensor designs and manufacturing issues. Each section provides technical details and evaluates the effect on sensor performance.