Dual functional monomers modified magnetic adsorbent for the enrichment of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in water and urine samples

MOF derivatization of multifunctional nanozyme: Peroxidase-like catalytic activity combined with magnetic solid phase extraction for colorimetric detection of Hg2

Nanozyme-based colorimetric sensing has drawn immense attention due to the rapid development of nanozyme in recent years. However, the selectivity of nanozyme-based colorimetric sensing greatly limits its subsequent practical application. It is well known that sample pretreatment can not only improve selectivity by eliminating the sample matrix interference, but also improve sensitivity by enriching trace targets. Based on the easy facile surface modification properties of nanozyme, we rationally designed nanozyme combined with sample pretreatment for colorimetric biosensing, through separation and enrichment, thereby improving the selectivity and sensitivity of the nanozyme colorimetric biosensing. As a proof of concept, the detection of Hg2+ by nanozyme-based colorimetric sensing was used as an example. Magnetic peroxidase-like nanozyme Fe3S4 was designed and synthesized. The selectivity is improved by the specific adsorption of S-Hg bond and the interference elimination after magnetic separation. In addition, the sensitivity is improved by magnetic solid-phase extraction enrichment. Our established colorimetric sensing based on Fe3S4 nanozyme integrated sample pretreatment with an enrichment factor of 100 and the limit of detection (LOD) is 26 nM. In addition, this strategy was successfully applied to detect Hg2+ in environmental water samples. Overall, the strategy showed good selectivity and sensitivity, providing a new practical method for the application of nanozyme-based biosensing in sample pretreatment.

Pompon mum-like ionic covalent organic framework nanocomposites for efficient solid-phase extraction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Molecularly imprinted ionic covalent organic framework nanocomposites (MI-IC-COF@SnO2) were prepared as potential adsorbents for the enhanced adsorption of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from aqueous solution. The resulting material exhibited a pompon mum-like structure, featuring a large surface area, and well-defined mesopores. The presence of uniform positive ions within the three-dimensional skeleton of MI-IC-COF@SnO2 facilitated a rapid adsorption rate and high adsorption capacity for target analytes. Thermodynamic fitting revealed the adsorption process of NSAIDs to be feasible, endothermic, and spontaneous. Additionally, the adsorbent material exhibited respectable selectivity, as evidenced by imprinting factor values ranging from 2.8 to 6.7. Utilizing MI-IC-COF@SnO2 as the sorbent, a solid-phase extraction method coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (SPE-HPLC-UV) was developed and optimized. The proposed method demonstrated good linear range with determination coefficients of 0.998-0.999, and low limit of detection (0.18-1.35 µg L-1). Recoveries of NSAIDs in urine and river water samples were 78.1 %-106.1 %, with relative standard deviations lower than 12.5 %. This rapid and sensitive method enables the determination of NSAIDs at trace levels in complex matrices, providing reliable and reproducible results.

Magnetic solid phase extraction coupled to HPLC-UV for highly sensitive analysis of mono-hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine

BACKGROUND

As a common pollutant, the carcinogenic properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have garnered considerable attention. Trace metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can be detected in urine as a non-invasively approach to monitor the exposure level. Nonetheless, the urine samples have the disadvantages of being large in volume and containing numerous impurities. Given the growing demand to study metabolites with low abundance and potential biomarkers, there is a pressing need for a preconcentration and high-throughput technique for effectively handling complex liquid samples.

RESULTS

Polystyrene-coated magnetic nanoparticles were used to establish a novel magnetic extraction method for monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine samples. Polystyrene magnetic nanoparticles are an ideal absorbent for solid-phase extraction. After the material was mixed with the sample and adsorbed the target analyte, the analytes on the material were eluted and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography. Influencing factors were optimized, and the proposed method achieved desirable sensitivity in analyzing low-abundance metabolites in large volumes of complex urine samples. The recoveries of intra-day and inter-day were 78.0-118.0 % and 81.0 %-115.0 %, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day reproducibility were less than 4.5 % and 8.6 %, respectively. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.009-0.041 ng mL-1, and the limits of quantification were in the range of 0.030-0.135 ng mL-1.

SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY

The application of reusable polystyrene-coated magnetic solid-phase nanoparticles as adsorbents makes the extraction of monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from urine samples economical and environmentally benign. The proposed method is simple, sensitive, and efficient compared to existing techniques. The nanoparticles are easy to prepare, showing potential for rapid screening of complex bulk bio-samples in batches with high efficiency and low budget.

Pharmaceutically active compounds in aqueous environment: recent developments in their fate, occurrence and elimination for efficient water purification

The existence of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in the water is a major concern for environmentalists due to their deleterious effects on living organisms even at minuscule concentrations. This review focuses on PhACs such as analgesics and anti-inflammatory compounds, which are massively excreted in urine and account for the majority of pharmaceutical pollution. Furthermore, other PhACs such as anti-epileptics, beta-blockers and antibiotics are discussed because they also contribute significantly to pharmaceutical pollution in the aquatic environment. This review is divided into two parts. In the first part, different classes of PhACs and their fate in the wastewater environment are presented. In the second part, recent advances in the removal of PhACs by conventional wastewater treatment plants, including membrane bioreactors (MBRs), activated carbon adsorption and bench-scale studies concerning a broad range of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) that render practical and appropriate strategies for the complete mineralization and degradation of pharmaceutical drugs, are reviewed. This review indicates that drugs like diclofenac, naproxen, paracetamol and aspirin are removed efficiently by conventional systems. Activated carbon adsorption is suitable for the removal of diclofenac and carbamazepine, whereas AOPs are leading water treatment strategies for the effective removal of reviewed PhACs.

Green hydrophobic maltodextrin nanosponges for magnetic solid-phase extraction of hypothalamic peptides from plasma samples

In this work, for the first time, magnetic-phthalated maltodextrin nanosponges (M-PAMDNSs) were synthetized and introduced as efficient and green sorbents. The integration of phthaloyl groups as hydrophobic moieties into networks of maltodextrin nanosponges provided good enrichment for hypothalamic-related peptides (HRPs). The synthesized materials were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, water contact angle, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, pH point of zero charge, acid-base titration, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and vibrating sample magnetometer. Under the optimized conditions (sorbent amount: 5.0 mg, desorption solvent volume and type: 300 µL of methanol: H2O: trifluoroacetic acid, extraction time: 15 min, and desorption time: 10 min), the developed magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) method in combination with HPLC-UV was used as a novel and sensitive analytical method for the determination of HRPs in plasma samples. The proposed MSPE-HPLC-UV method provided good linearity (1.5-500 ng mL-1 R2 ≥ 0.9988), low limits of detection (0.1-0.2 ng mL-1) and quantification (0.4-0.8 ng mL-1), desirable precision (RSD ≤ 8.8%, n ₌ 5), satisfactory enrichment factor (EFs ≥ 66.0), and well relative recoveries (92.8-108.8%). Overall, the established method effectively expanded the analytical potential of MSPE approach for the quantification of HRPs in biological samples.

Synthesis of porous dimethoxypillar[5]arene knitted β-cyclodextrin copolymers for efficient adsorption of organic micropollutants

Herein, through knitting benzylated β-cyclodextrin (BnCD) by dimethoxypillar[5]arene (P[5]), porous copolymers (P[5]-BnCDs) containing two kinds of macrocycles were synthesized with yields not <97 %. The molar ratio of P[5]/BnCD greatly influenced the P[5]-BnCDs' porosity and adsorption performance. When the molar ratio of P[5]/BnCD was 4/1, the P[5]-BnCD (4-1), demonstrated a surface area up to 515.95 m²/g and showed fast adsorption kinetic, high adsorption capacity and good reusability towards the model organic micropollutants (OMPs). The adsorption fitted well with the pseudo-second-order and the Langmuir models, while the thermodynamic studies revealed spontaneous physisorption process. The adsorption mechanism was dominant by host-guest and hydrophobic interactions and the adsorption at environmentally relevant concentrations experiments showed the practicality and superiority in extraction of the OMPs at μg/L level. This study paves a way for the development of versatile porous organic polymers with multiple macrocycles for efficient removal of OMPs from water.

Dispersive solid-phase extraction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in water and urine samples using a magnetic ionic liquid hypercrosslinked polymer composite

In this work, Friedel-Crafts alkylation was successfully applied to prepare a magnetic ionic liquid hypercrosslinked polymer composite (Fe₃O₄@IL-HCP), which was subsequently employed as magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) adsorbent for the isolation and enrichment of trace non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The developed composite was comprehensively characterized using various techniques, with the results indicating that it possessed high saturation magnetization (39.44 em g ^- 1), large specific surface area (175 m²g ^- 1), and high adsorption capacity for NSAIDs. The adsorption behavior and mechanisms were also investigated in detail. NSAIDs were adsorbed onto the Fe₃O₄@IL-HCP sorbent via a heterogeneous multilayer process consisting of hydrogen bonding and π-π and electrostatic interactions. Additionally, the composite's large surface area and multiple active sites enabled extraction equilibrium within 6 min. By coupling with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the developed MSPE/HPLC method was applied for the determination of selected NSAIDs in water and urine samples. The developed method displayed wide linear ranges, low limits of detection (0.12-0.30 ng mL^-1 and 0.15-1.5 ng mL^-1 in water and urine samples, respectively), sufficient recoveries (92.8-109%), and good precision (relative standard deviations ≤ 4.6%). Thus, the findings of this work provide an appealing alternative for the extraction and determination of trace NSAIDs in environmental water and biological samples.

An overview of poly (amide-amine) dendrimers functionalized chromatographic separation materials

Chromatography is one of the most important separation techniques in analytical chemistry. In which, the separation materials are the core for good separation results. Poly (amide-amine) dendrimers with regular three-dimensional structure, abundant terminal groups, controllable molecule chains, and unique cavities appear to have a positive impact on chromatographic separation materials. In the past decades, poly (amide-amine) grafted adsorbents and stationary phases have presented high grafting efficiency, controllable surface structure, good dispersion, and wide practical applications. In this review, the prepared poly (amide-amine) functionalized separation materials and their applications are systematically summarized. Functions, significance, structure-actvity relationships and benefits of poly (amide-amine) dendrimers in the proposed separation materials are discussed in detail. And we hope to provide a useful reference for the future development of chromatographic separation materials and inspire new discoveries in the study of poly (amide-amine) functionalized materials.

Application of magnetic nanomaterials in bioanalysis

The importance of magnetic nanomaterials and magnetic hybrid materials, which are classified as new generation materials, in analytical applications is increasingly understood, and research on the adaptation of these materials to analytical methods has gained momentum. Development of sample preparation techniques and sensor systems using magnetic nanomaterials for the analysis of inorganic, organic and biomolecules in biological samples, which are among the samples that analytical chemists work on most, are among the priority issues. Therefore in this review, we focused on the use of magnetic nanomaterials for the bioanalytical applications including inorganic and organic species and biomolecules in different biological samples such as primarily blood, serum, plasma, tissue extracts, urine and milk. We summarized recent progresses, prevailing techniques, applied formats, and future trends in sample preparation-analysis methods and sensors based on magnetic nanomaterials (Mag-NMs). First, we provided a brief introduction of magnetic nanomaterials, especially their magnetic properties that can be utilized for bioanalytical applications. Second, we discussed the synthesis of these Mag-NMs. Third, we reviewed recent advances in bioanalytical applications of the Mag-NMs in different formats. Finally, recently literature studies on the relevance of Mag-NMs for bioanalysis applications were presented.

3D flower-liked Fe3O4/C for highly sensitive magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction of four trace non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

A low cost-effective and simple synthesis method was adopted to acquire three-dimensional flower-like structure Fe₃O₄/C that has large specific area, suitable pore structure and sufficient saturation magnetism. The obtained Fe₃O₄/C exhibits outstanding preconcentration ability and was applied to extracting non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from complex environmental and biological samples. The parameters of magnetic solid-phase extraction were optimized by univariate and multivariate methods (Box-Behnken design). The high degree of linearity from 2.5 to 1000.0 ng mL^-1 (R² ≥ 0.9976), the limits of detection from 0.25 to 0.5 ng mL^{- 1} (S/N = 3), and the limits of quantitation from 1.0 to 2.0 ng mL^{- 1} (S/N = 10) were yielded by adopting this novel method after the optimization. Moreover, the recoveries of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from 89.6 to 107.0% were acquired in spiked plasma, urine and lake samples. In addition, the adsorption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on Fe₃O₄/C was explored by adsorption isotherms and kinetic studies. Furthermore, the adsorption mechanism for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by Fe₃O₄/C was proposed, which was hydrogen bonding and π-π interaction between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and Fe₃O₄/C. Graphical abstract.

A flower-like hybrid material composed of Fe3O4, graphene oxide and CdSe nanodots for magnetic solid phase extraction of ibuprofen prior to its quantification by HPLC detection

A flower-like Fe₃O₄/GO/CdSe nanodot magnetic hybrid material was produced and applied to magnetic solid-phase extraction of ibuprofen from pharmaceuticals, water, and urine samples. The material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy and SEM-EDX. The pH value, volume of sample solution, amount of sorbent, type and volume of elution solvent and extraction time were optimized. Following elution with acetone, ibuprofen was quantified by HPLC-DAD detection. The recoveries of ibuprofen from spiked real samples ranged between 87 and 109%, and the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations from 1.25 to 3.02%. The limit of detection, limit of quantification and preconcentration factor are 0.36 ng·mL^-1,1.20 ng·mL^-1 and 150, respectively. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of the combination of flower-like Fe₃O₄/GO/CdSe nanodot-based magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure for the extraction and analysis of ibuprofen in pharmaceuticals, water, and urine samples.