Synthesis of Optimized Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Isolation and Detection of Antidepressants via HPLC

Abstract

Antidepressants such as amitryptiline and fluoxetine are on the list of modern essential medicines of the World Health Organization. However, there are growing concerns regarding the ecological impact of these pharmaceuticals, leading to a great need to improve current wastewater treatment procedures. In this contribution, we will report on the use of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the extraction of antidepressants in water samples. MIPs were developed for fluoxetine and duloxetine, antidepressants belonging to the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The binding capacity of these microparticles was evaluated using ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. A new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure coupled to UV detection was developed, which enabled the study of mixtures of fluoxetine and duloxetine with other nitrogen-containing compounds. These results indicate that it is possible to selectively extract SSRIs from complex samples. Therefore, these versatile polymers are a promising analytical tool for the clean-up of water samples, which will benefit aquatic life and reduce the ecological impact of pharmaceuticals.

Screen Printed Electrode Based Detection Systems for the Antibiotic Amoxicillin in Aqueous Samples Utilising Molecularly Imprinted Polymers as Synthetic Receptors

“…The molecule of template bound per gram (S b ) was obtained by multiplying C b by the volume in litres and then dividing this by the amount of polymer used in the experiment (10 mg). The Imprint Factor (IF) was determined by dividing S b for a given MIP by the S b for the corresponding NIP at a C f value of 0.5 mM [22].…”

Remediation of pharmaceuticals from wastewater via computationally selected molecularly imprinted polymers

“…The validation of our predictions is done with available experimental data. 40 To study the effect of FM selection (i.e., MAA, IA, HEMA, ACA and ACN), we propose the protocol depicted in Fig. 3.…”

“…All FMs, their atom pair complex with the highest HB time and corresponding KBI limiting value are compared against the experimental imprinting factors (EIF) 40 in Table 3. All HB time and corresponding KBI limiting values can be found in the ESI † (Table S4 and Fig.…”

Sample Preparation Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

“…40 Boronic acid was also used for its ability to form a reversible covalent complex with cis-diol compounds such as luteolin, 48,49 vitamin B12, 50 sialic acid, 51 or for the specific trapping of glycans of glycoproteins as discussed in more detail below. Many works reported the screening of different synthesis conditions by preparing MIPs using different types of monomers, cross-linkers, template/monomer or monomer/cross-linker ratios, natures of the porogen, 28,30,39,43,[52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65] and even the pH when boronic acid is involved. 50,66 The evaluation of the resulting MIPs consists mainly in comparing the binding capacity of the MIP for the target analyte with the one obtained with the corresponding non-imprinted polymer (NIP) synthesized with the same conditions as the MIP but in the absence of the template molecule.…”

“…94 In most of the cases, 5-100 mg of particles are dispersed in the samples. The ratio between the amount of MIP particles and the volume of the sample, that has only been optimized in some cases, 68,180 can be lower than 1, 32,33,44,94,143,158,169,179 between 1 and 10, 45,50,58,59,61,64,65,89,98,106,107,111,114,117,147,154,155,[163][164][165]170,177,178,185 or up to 50 34,66,69,144,149,168,174,181,188 and even 250 mg/mL. 43 Environmental waters were filtered 172 or directly put in contact with the MIP particles for the extraction of target analytes.…”