Sample pretreatment is essential for analysis of complicated real samples due to their complex matrices and low analyte concentrations. Among all sample pretreatment methods, solid-phase extraction is arguably the most frequently used one. However, the majority of available solid-phase extraction adsorbents suffer from limited selectivity. Molecularly imprinted polymers are a type of tailor-made artificial antibodies and receptors with specific recognition sites for target molecules. Using molecularly imprinted polymers instead of conventional adsorbents can greatly improve the selectivity of solid-phase extraction, and therefore molecularly imprinted polymer-based solid-phase extraction has been widely applied to separation, clean up and/or preconcentration of target analytes in various kinds of real samples. In this article, after a brief introduction, the recent developments and applications of molecularly imprinted polymer-based solid-phase extraction for determination of different analytes in complicated real samples during the 2015-2020 are reviewed systematically, including the solid-phase extraction modes, molecularly imprinted adsorbent types and their preparations, and the practical applications of solid-phase extraction to various real samples (environmental, food, biological and pharmaceutical samples). Finally, the challenges and opportunities of using molecularly imprinted polymer-based solid-phase extraction for real sample analysis are discussed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Recent advances and applications of molecularly imprinted polymers in solid-phase extraction for real sample analysis.

A novel magnetic fluorescent molecularly imprinted sensor for highly selective and sensitive detection of 4-nitrophenol in food samples through a dual-recognition mechanism.

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) computational design is expected to become a routine technique prior to synthesis to produce polymers with high affinity and selectivity towards target molecules. Furthermore, using these simulations reduces the cost of optimizing polymerization composition. There are several computational methods used in MIP fabrication and each requires a comprehensive study in order to select a process with results that are most similar to properties exhibited by polymers synthesized through laboratory experiments. Until now, no review has linked computational strategies with experimental results, which are needed to determine the method that is most appropriate for use in designing MIP with high molecular recognition. This review will present an update of the computational approaches started from 2016 until now on quantum mechanics, molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics that have been widely used. It will also discuss the linear correlation between computational results and the polymer performance tests through laboratory experiments to examine to what extent these methods can be relied upon to obtain polymers with high molecular recognition. Based on the literature search, density functional theory (DFT) with various hybrid functions and basis sets is most often used as a theoretical method to provide a shorter MIP manufacturing process as well as good analytical performance as recognition material.

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/7/1891/pdf

An Update on Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Design through a Computational Approach to Produce Molecular Recognition Material with Enhanced Analytical Performance.

DFT computational study towards investigating psychotropic drugs, promazine and trifluoperazine adsorption on graphene, fullerene and carbon cyclic ring nanoclusters.

Effective molecular recognition remains a major challenge in the development of robust receptors for biosensing applications. Over the last three decades, aptamers and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have emerged as the receptors of choice for use in biosensors as viable alternatives to natural antibodies, due to their superior stability, comparable binding performance, and lower costs. Although both of these technologies have been developed in parallel, they both suffer from their own unique problems. In this review, we will compare and contrast both types of receptor, with a focus on the area of environmental monitoring. Firstly, we will discuss the strategies and challenges involved in their development. We will also discuss the challenges that are involved in interfacing them with the biosensors. We will then compare and contrast their performance with a focus on their use in the detection of environmental contaminants, namely, antibiotics, pesticides, heavy metals, and pathogens detection. Finally, we will discuss the future direction of these two technologies.

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9040/8/2/32/pdf

The Use of Aptamers and Molecularly Imprinted Polymers in Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring: A Tale of Two Receptors

Retention and molecular-recognition mechanisms of molecularly imprinted polymers for promazine derivatives

Evaluation of molecularly imprinted polymers for chlorpromazine and bromopromazine prepared by multi-step swelling and polymerization method-The application for the determination of chlorpromazine and its metabolites in rat plasma by column-switching LC.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for promazine (PZ) and chlorpromazine (CPZ), MIPPZ and MIPCPZ, were prepared by multi-step swelling and polymerization using methacrylic acid as a functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a crosslinker. The retention and molecular-recognition properties of MIPPZ and MIPCPZ were evaluated using a mixture of potassium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile, or a mixture of ammonium formate and acetonitrile as the mobile phase in LC. PZ and CPZ gave the maximal retentions on MIPPZ and MIPCPZ at an apparent pH 8.2 using a mixture of potassium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The retentions of PZ and CPZ decreased with an increase of acetonitrile contents from 70 to 90 vol% using a mixture of ammonium formate and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The template molecules (PZ and CPZ, respectively) were recognized the most on the respective MIPs, and the imprinting factor of PZ was higher on MIPCPZ than on MIPPZ. These results indicate that in addition to shape recognition, ionic and hydrophobic interactions seem to work for the retention and molecular-recognition of PZ and CPZ on the MIPs. MIPCPZ was successfully utilized for the selective extraction of PZ in rat-serum samples in column-switching LC with fluorescence detection.

Preparation and Evaluation of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Promazine and Chlorpromazine by Multi-step Swelling and Polymerization: the Application for the Determination of Promazine in Rat Serum by Column-switching LC.

Kanae Nishimura

Papers

Retention and molecular-recognition mechanisms of molecularly imprinted polymers for promazine derivatives

Evaluation of molecularly imprinted polymers for chlorpromazine and bromopromazine prepared by multi-step swelling and polymerization method-The application for the determination of chlorpromazine and its metabolites in rat plasma by column-switching LC.

Preparation and Evaluation of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Promazine and Chlorpromazine by Multi-step Swelling and Polymerization: the Application for the Determination of Promazine in Rat Serum by Column-switching LC.