In vivo application of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer in rheumatoid arthritis rat model.

A magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) was synthesised and tested for an in vivo rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rat model. Magnetite coated with mesoporous silica (Fe2O3@mSi) was used as core for surface imprinting, dopamine was used as monomer and methotrexate (MTX) was loaded directly during polymerisation. The amount of MTX loaded on MMIPs reached 201.165 ± 0.315 µmol/g. Characterisation of the polymers was done via SEM, TEM, and FTIR. The pharmacological effect of the selected MMIP was evaluated in a Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritis rat model where a 3D magnet bearing construct was designed for targeted delivery of MMIPs. The parameters evaluated were the change in paw edoema, paw diameter, gait score, and animal's weight. Results revealed a tendency of MMIP to significantly improve the measured parameters which was confirmed with histopathological findings. In conclusion, the improvement in the arthritic signs associated with MMIP treatment compared to free MTX, indicated successful targeting of MMIPs to the site of inflammation.

Molecularly Imprinted Solid Phase Extraction Strategy for Quinic Acid.

Quinic acid (QA) and its ester conjugates have been subjected to in-depth scientific investigations for their antioxidant properties. In this study, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were used for selective extraction of quinic acid (QA) from coffee bean extract. Computational modelling was performed to optimize the process of MIP preparation. Three different functional monomers (allylamine, methacrylic acid (MAA) and 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP)) were tested for imprinting. The ratio of each monomer to template chosen was based on the optimum ratio obtained from computational studies. Equilibrium rebinding studies were conducted and MIP C, which was prepared using 4-VP as functional monomer with template to monomer ratio of 1:5, showed better binding performance than the other prepared MIPs. Accordingly, MIP C was chosen to be applied for selective separation of QA using solid-phase extraction. The selectivity of MIP C towards QA was tested versus its analogues found in coffee (caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid). Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) using MIP C as sorbent was then applied for selective extraction of QA from aqueous coffee extract. The applied MISPE was able to retrieve 81.918 ± 3.027% of QA with a significant reduction in the amount of other components in the extract.

Molecularly imprinted polymers based biomimetic sensors for mosapride citrate detection in biological fluids.

Computational modeling was applied to study the intermolecular interactions in the pre-polymerization mixture and find a suitable functional monomer to use in the design of a new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for mosapride citrate which is considerably a large molecule (as the citrate ion is also included in calculations as it has centers that can take part in interaction with monomer via hydrogen bonding). Based on these calculations, methacyrlic acid (MAA) was selected as a suitable functional monomer. Mosapride citrate selective MIP and a non-imprinted polymer (NIP) were synthesized and characterized using FTIR, TGA and SEM and then incorporated in carbon paste electrodes (CPEs). The designed modified sensor revealed linear responses in the ranges of 1×10-4-8×10-7 and 8×10-7-8×10-8molL-1 with a limit of detection (LOD) of 2.6×10-8molL-1. The results of the sensor exhibited high selectivity over interfering species and could be applied for the determination of mosapride citrate in pure solutions, pharmaceutical preparations, urine and human serum samples.