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Polania LC, Jiménez VA. Molecular dynamics simulations in pre-polymerization mixtures for peptide recognition. J Mol Model 2024; 30:266. [PMID: 39007951 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-024-06069-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have promising applications as synthetic antibodies for protein and peptide recognition. A critical aspect of MIP design is the selection of functional monomers and their adequate proportions to achieve materials with high recognition capacity toward their targets. To contribute to this goal, we calibrated a molecular dynamics protocol to reproduce the experimental trends in peptide recognition of 13 pre-polymerization mixtures reported in the literature for the peptide toxin melittin. METHODS Three simulation conditions were tested for each mixture by changing the box size and the number of monomers and cross-linkers surrounding the template in a solvent-explicit environment. Fully atomistic MD simulations of 350 ns were conducted with the AMBER20 software, with ff19SB parameters for the peptide, gaff2 parameters for the monomers and cross-linkers, and the OPC water model. Template-monomer interaction energies under the LIE approach showed significant differences between high-affinity and low-affinity mixtures. Simulation systems containing 100 monomers plus cross-linkers in a cubic box of 90 Å3 successfully ranked the mixtures according to their experimental performance. Systems with higher monomer densities resulted in non-specific intermolecular contacts that could not account for the experimental trends in melittin recognition. The mixture with the best recognition capacity showed preferential binding to the 13-26-α-helix, suggesting a relevant role for this segment in melittin imprinting and recognition. Our findings provide insightful information to assist the computational design of molecularly imprinted materials with a validated protocol that can be easily extended to other templates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C Polania
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello. Autopista Concepción-Talcahuano, 7100, Talcahuano, Chile
| | - Verónica A Jiménez
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello. Autopista Concepción-Talcahuano, 7100, Talcahuano, Chile.
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Iacob BC, Bodoki AE, Da Costa Carvalho DF, Serpa Paulino AA, Barbu-Tudoran L, Bodoki E. Unlocking New Avenues: Solid-State Synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5504. [PMID: 38791542 PMCID: PMC11122393 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are established artificial molecular recognition platforms with tailored selectivity towards a target molecule, whose synthesis and functionality are highly influenced by the nature of the solvent employed in their synthesis. Steps towards the "greenification" of molecular imprinting technology (MIT) has already been initiated by the elaboration of green MIT principles; developing MIPs in a solvent-free environment may not only offer an eco-friendly alternative, but could also significantly influence the affinity and expected selectivity of the resulting binding sites. In the current study the first solvent-free mechanochemical synthesis of MIPs via liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) is reported. The successful synthesis of the imprinted polymer was functionally demonstrated by measuring its template rebinding capacity and the selectivity of the molecular recognition process in comparison with the ones obtained by the conventional, non-covalent molecular imprinting process in liquid media. The results demonstrated similar binding capacities towards the template molecule and superior chemoselectivity compared to the solution-based MIP synthesis method. The adoption of green chemistry principles with all their inherent advantages in the synthesis of MIPs may not only be able to alleviate the potential environmental and health concerns associated with their analytical (e.g., selective adsorbents) and biomedical (e.g., drug carriers or reservoirs) applications, but might also offer a conceptual change in molecular imprinting technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogdan-Cezar Iacob
- Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4 Pasteur St., 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
| | - Andreea Elena Bodoki
- Inorganic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 12 Ion Creangă St., 400010 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
| | - Diogo Filipe Da Costa Carvalho
- Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa, Av. D. João II, Lote 4.69.01, 1990-096 Lisboa, Portugal; (D.F.D.C.C.); (A.A.S.P.)
| | - Antonio Augusto Serpa Paulino
- Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa, Av. D. João II, Lote 4.69.01, 1990-096 Lisboa, Portugal; (D.F.D.C.C.); (A.A.S.P.)
| | - Lucian Barbu-Tudoran
- Electron Microscopy Center, Faculty of Biology and Geology, “Babes-Bolyai” University, 5-7 Clinicilor St., 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
| | - Ede Bodoki
- Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4 Pasteur St., 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
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Contardi C, Rubes D, Serra M, Dorati R, Dattilo M, Mavliutova L, Patrini M, Guglielmann R, Sellergren B, De Lorenzi E. Affinity Capillary Electrophoresis as a Tool To Characterize Molecularly Imprinted Nanogels in Solution. Anal Chem 2024. [PMID: 38284411 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c04912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
In this work, an innovative and accurate affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) method was set up to monitor the complexation of aqueous MIP nanogels (NGs) with model cancer-related antigens. Using α2,6'- and α2,3'-sialyllactose as oversimplified cancer biomarker-mimicking templates, NGs were synthesized and characterized in terms of size, polydispersity, and overall charge. A stability study was also carried out in order to select the best storage conditions and to ensure product quality. After optimization of capillary electrophoresis conditions, injection of MIP NGs resulted in a single, sharp, and efficient peak. The mobility shift approach was applied to quantitatively estimate binding affinity, in this case resulting in an association constant of K ≈ 106 M-1. The optimized polymers further displayed a pronounced discrimination between the two sialylated sugars. The newly developed ACE protocol has the potential to become a very effective method for nonconstrained affinity screening of NG in solution, especially during the NG development phase and/or for a final accurate quantitation of the observed binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Contardi
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, PV, Italy
| | - Davide Rubes
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, PV, Italy
| | - Massimo Serra
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, PV, Italy
| | - Rossella Dorati
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, PV, Italy
| | - Marco Dattilo
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Liliia Mavliutova
- Biofilms Research Center for Biointerfaces, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Society, Malmö University, 21432 Malmö, Sweden
| | | | | | - Börje Sellergren
- Biofilms Research Center for Biointerfaces, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Society, Malmö University, 21432 Malmö, Sweden
| | - Ersilia De Lorenzi
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, PV, Italy
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Xing R, Xue T, Ye P, Yang L, Wang R, Chen X, Hu S. pH-Responsive epitope-imprinted magnetic nanoparticles for selective separation and extraction of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid in traditional Chinese medicines. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2022; 14:4931-4937. [PMID: 36441178 DOI: 10.1039/d2ay01667b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid often coexist in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and play roles as antioxidation, antiviral, antitumor and anti-inflammatory agents. Due to their low content and the presence of structural analogues, they cannot be effectively separated by conventional extraction methods. Molecularly imprinted polymers, as synthesized receptors with antibody-like binding properties, have significant advantages in separating structural analogues. However, the harsh imprinting conditions easily induced the degradation of chlorogenic acid. Therefore, caffeic acid was used as an epitope template to replace chlorogenic acid for imprinting. Boronic acid-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were selected as substrates, which could not only facilitate the immobilization and removal of the templates by pH regulation, but also achieve rapid separation under an external magnetic field. Tetraethyl orthosilicate was selected as an imprinting monomer which allowed for precise control of the thickness of the imprinting layer by adjusting the imprinting time. The prepared epitope-imprinted MNPs showed excellent specificity, in combination with high performance liquid chromatography, have been successfully applied to the selective separation and detection of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid in TCMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongrong Xing
- School of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, 56 Xinjian South Road, Yingze District, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China.
| | - Tingyu Xue
- School of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, 56 Xinjian South Road, Yingze District, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China.
| | - Peng Ye
- School of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, 56 Xinjian South Road, Yingze District, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China.
| | - Li Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, 56 Xinjian South Road, Yingze District, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China.
| | - Runqin Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, 56 Xinjian South Road, Yingze District, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China.
| | - Xuan Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, 56 Xinjian South Road, Yingze District, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China.
| | - Shuang Hu
- School of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, 56 Xinjian South Road, Yingze District, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China.
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