Development of a "turn off" fluorescent molecularly imprinted nanoparticle-based sensor for selective captopril quantification in synthetic urine and wastewater samples.

The combination of silica nanoparticles with fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymers (Si-FMIPs) prepared by a one-pot sol-gel synthesis method to act as chemical sensors for the selective and sensitive determination of captopril is described. Several analytical parameters were optimized, including reagent ratio, solvent, concentration of Si-FMIP solutions, and contact time. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the ninhydrin assay were used for characterization. The selectivity was evaluated against molecules belonging to other drug classes, such as fluoroquinolones, nonacid nonopioids, benzothiadiazine, alpha amino acids, and nitroimidazoles. Under optimized conditions, the Si-FMIP-based sensor exhibited a working range of 1-15 µM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.7 µM, repeatability of 6.4% (n = 10), and suitable recovery values at three concentration levels (98.5% (1.5 µM), 99.9% (3.5 µM), and 99.2% (7.5 µM)) for wastewater samples. The sensor provided a working range of 0.5-15 µM for synthetic urine samples, with an LOD of 0.4 µM and a repeatability of 7.4% (n = 10) and recovery values of 93.7%, 92.9%, and 98.0% for 1.0 µM, 3.5 µM, and 10 µM, respectively. In conclusion, our single-vessel synthesis approach for Si-FMIPs proved to be highly effective for the selective determination of captopril in wastewater and synthetic urine samples.

Smartphone application for captopril determination in dosage forms and synthetic urine employing digital imaging.

A simple, accurate, and low-cost analytical procedure for captopril determination through digital imaging is presented. The method relies on the spot test reaction between captopril and palladium (II) chloride, which produces a yellow and water-soluble complex with maximum absorption at 380 nm. A smartphone camera and a portable apparatus built for internal lighting control were put together to acquire digital images of reaction mixtures. Digital image processing through the RGB approach was used to establish a quantitative relationship between color intensity and captopril concentration. Under the most suitable operational and experimental conditions, an analytical curve was built monitoring the Blue channel within the concentration range of 3.12 × 10-5 to 1.21 × 10-3 mol L-1. Limits of detection and quantification were equal to 8.06 × 10-6 and 2.69 × 10-5 mol L-1, respectively. Recovery percentage in synthetic urine samples ranged from 97.1% to 102.9%. Results were compared with a reference method and no significant differences were detected at the 95% confidence level. The developed method presents budgetary and environmental advantages concerning the use of cheap and easy-handled devices and the consumption of very low volumes of reagent (800 µL per determination). It can be a useful analytical tool for laboratories with limited financial resources while abiding by green chemistry principles.