Application of oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes and zeolite nanoparticles for simultaneous preconcentration of codeine and tramadol in saliva prior to HPLC determination

In this work, a dispersive micro-solid phase extraction technique along with high-performance liquid chromatography-UV detection was developed for simultaneous preconcentraion and determination of trace levels of codeine and tramadol in human saliva. This method is based on the adsorption of codeine and tramadol on a mixture of oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes and zeolite Y nanoparticles with 1:1 ratio as an efficient nanosorbent. Various analytical parameters influencing the adsorption step including the amount of adsorbent, the pH of the sample solution, the temperature, the stirring rate, the contact time of the sample solution, and the adsorption capacity were investigated. Based on the results, 10 mg adsorbent, sample solutions with pH = 7.6, temperature of 25 °C, stirring rate 750 rpm and contact time 15 min, in the adsorption step shows the best results for both drugs. Then the effective parameters on the analyte desorption stage such as the type of desorption solution, pH of the desorption solution, desorption time and desorption volume were investigated. Studies have shown that water/methanol (50:50 v/v) as desorption solution, pH = 2.0, desorption time of 5 min and desorption volume of 2 ml gives the best results.Chromatographic separation was performed on a RP-Shim-pack CLC-ODS-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with isocratic mode. The mobile phase contained of acetonitrile:phosphate buffer (18:82, v/v) at pH = 4.5 and the flow rate was 1 ml.min^-1. The wavelength of UV detector was adjusted at 210 nm and 198 nm for codeine and tramadol, respectively.Under optimum conditions, the extraction efficiencies of 98.5% and 99.2% were achieved for codeine and tramadol respectively. Enrichment factor of 13, detection limit of 0.3 μg L^-1, relative standard deviation of 4.07 for codeine; and an enrichment factor of 15, a detection limit of 0.15 μg L^-1, and standard deviation of 2.06 for tramadol were calculated. The linear range of the procedure for each drug was 1.0 to 1000 μg L^-1. This method was successfully applied for the analysis of codeine and tramadol in saliva samples.

Design of imprinting matrix for dual template sensing via electropolymerized polythiophene films

This work presents the design of 3-thiophene acetic acid (3-TAA) polymer matrix based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite for sensitive and selective detection of antipyrine (AnP) and ethionamide (ETH) simultaneously. Dual drug embedded molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based electrochemical sensor was developed via electropolymerization of 3-TAA. AnP and ETH were embedded inside a polymer matrix based on their 3-D orientation and interaction(s) with functional monomer(s). Their extraction from polymeric matrix generates cavities complimentary to shape and size of AnP and ETH. The extraction of templates was confirmed by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) as well as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The designed sensor selectively captures and produces the electrochemical signal for imprinted drugs. The electrochemical behaviour of AnP and ETH was investigated by DPV technique. The sensitivity for both drug molecules was commendable on a single polymeric composite with RGO on GC electrode (LOD of 0.117 μM for AnP and 0.15 μM for ETH). Also, the sensor exhibited excellent selectivity towards AnP and ETH in the presence of other analogous interferent molecules. Thus, the designed sensor showed high sensitivity as well as high selectivity for imprinted dual drug molecules on a single platform.

Vortex-Assisted Dispersive Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Solid Phase Extraction of Acetaminophen from Water Samples Prior to HPLC-DAD Determination

In the present study, acetaminophen (ACT) molecularly imprinted polymer (ACT-MIP) were successfully synthesized via surface imprinting polymerization. The structural and morphological properties of ACT-MIP were characterized using various analytical techniques. ACT-MIP were used as an adsorbent in a vortex-assisted dispersive molecularly imprinted solid-phase micro-extraction (VA-d-μ-MISPE), coupled with a high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method for the determination of ACT in water samples. Influential parameters such as the mass of adsorbent, vortex speed, extraction time, desorption volume, and desorption time were optimized using a multivariate approach. Under optimum conditions, the maximum binding capacities of ACT-MIP and NIP (non-imprinted polymers) were 191 mg/g and 71.5 mg/g, respectively. The linearity was attained across concentrations ranging from 0.630 to 500 µg/L, with a coefficient of determination of 0.9959. For ACT-MIP, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), enhancement factor, and precision of the method were 0.19 ng/L, 0.63 ng/L, 79, and <5%, respectively. The method was applied in the analysis of spiked water samples, and satisfactory percentage recoveries in the range of 95.3–99.8% were obtained.

On-line duplex molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for analysis of low-abundant biomarkers in human serum by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

In the present work, a pair of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) targeting distinct peptide targets were packed into trap columns and combined for automated duplex analysis of two low abundant small cell lung cancer biomarkers (neuron-specific enolase [NSE] and progastrin-releasing peptide [ProGRP]). Optimization of the on-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) protocol ensured that the MIPs had the necessary affinity and selectivity towards their respective signature peptide targets - NLLGLIEAK (ProGRP) and ELPLYR (NSE) - in serum. Two duplex formats were evaluated: a physical mixture of the two MIPs (1:1 w/w ratio) inside a single trap column, and two separate MIP trap columns connected in series. Both duplex formats enabled the extraction of the peptides from serum. However, the trap columns in series gave superior extraction efficiency (85.8±3.8% and 49.1±6.7% for NLLGLIEAK and ELPLYR, respectively). The optimized protocol showed satisfactory intraday (RSD≤23.4 %) and interday (RSD≤14.6%) precision. Duplex analysis of NSE and ProGRP spiked into digested human serum was linear (R²≥0.98) over the disease range (0.3-30 nM). The estimated limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.11 nM and 0.37 nM, respectively, for NSE, and 0.06 nM and 0.2 nM, respectively, for ProGRP. Both biomarkers were determined at clinically relevant levels. To the best of our knowledge, the present work is the first report of an automated MIP duplex biomarker analysis. It represents a proof of concept for clinically viable duplex analysis of low abundant biomarkers present in human serum or other biofluids.

Dual-template magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer-based sorbent for simultaneous and selective detection of phenolic endocrine disrupting compounds in foodstuffs

In this research, an efficient (94.9-99.4%) and fast (5 min) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous identification and quantification of phenolic endocrine disrupting compounds with an emphasis on bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-cumylphenol (4-CP) in food stuffs using a dual-template magnetic, molecularly-imprinted polymer (dt-MMIP). The dt-MMIP was synthesized by a sol-gel method using Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ (as the core) and BPA and 4-CP (as templates). The dt-MMIP was coupled with magnetic solid phase extraction to simultaneously detect BPA and 4-CP in food samples. BPA was measured from bottled water and fruit juice samples samples at 0.36 and 0.24 ng mL^-1, respectively, while 4-CP in those samples was 0.33 and 0.16 ng mL^-1, respectively. Their detection limits were estimated as 0.04 and 0.05 ng mL^-1, respectively. The developed dt-MMIP method was highly reproducible, while maintaining a good cyclability up to 20 cycles.

Preparation of Molecularly Imprinted Magnetic Graphene Oxide-Gold Nanocomposite and Its Application to the Design of Electrochemical Sensor for Determination of Epinephrine

In this study, a new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based nanocomposite was synthesized then used to determine epinephrine (EPN) by the use of an electrochemical sensor modified by it. Typical techniques for the synthesis of MIP have disadvantages, such as weak binding sites, low mass transfer and low selectivity. One of the ways to improve electrochemical properties is the use of graphene oxide (GR-Ox) and modification of its surface. For this purpose, GR-Ox was initially magnetized (MGR-Ox), then its surface was coated with a silica layer, and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were coated on its surface. Subsequently, copolymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA) and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) in the presence of EPN was performed on the MGO-AuNPs surface. Afterwards, a selective carbon paste electrode (CPE) with synthetic nanocomposite was fabricated to detect EPN. Under optimal conditions, a linear range from 10^-8 to 5.0 × 10^-7 M was obtained for the measurement of EPN in urine and blood with a detection limit of 5 × 10^-9 M (S/N = 3).

Dual-template molecularly imprinted polymers for dispersive solid-phase extraction of fluoroquinolones in water samples coupled with high performance liquid chromatography

Dual-template molecularly imprinted polymers were synthesized using norfloxacin and enrofloxacin as templates by precipitation polymerization with a multi-template imprinting strategy.