Development of a selective molecularly imprinted polymer-based solid-phase extraction for indomethacin from water...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Indomethacin (IDM) is a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
• Accurate quantification of IDM in environmental samples is crucial for monitoring and risk assessment.
• Existing methods for IDM extraction may lack selectivity and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a selective molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) method for indomethacin (IDM) in water samples.
• To synthesize and characterize molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for efficient IDM capture.
• To evaluate the selectivity and extraction performance of the developed MISPE method.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of three MIPs using different functional monomers (acrylamide, methacrylic acid) and crosslinkers (ethylene dimethacrylate) via bulk or suspension polymerization.
• Characterization of MIPs through rebinding experiments and Scatchard analysis.
• Optimization of MISPE conditions (loading, washing, elution solvents) for IDM extraction.
• Analysis of IDM in real water samples (tap, river) using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Main Results:

• The acrylamide-ethylene dimethacrylate (AM-EDMA) MIP synthesized by bulk polymerization exhibited the highest binding capacity for IDM.
• Scatchard analysis indicated the presence of at least two types of binding sites in the MIP.
• The developed MISPE method demonstrated high selectivity for IDM over structurally related compounds (acemetacin, oxaprozin, ibuprofen).
• Optimized MISPE achieved acceptable extraction efficiencies for IDM in spiked tap water (87.2%) and river water (83.5%).
• IDM was detected at 1.8 ng mL(-1) in a river water sample.

Conclusions:

• A selective and efficient MISPE method using an AM-EDMA based MIP was successfully developed for indomethacin extraction from water.
• The method shows high selectivity and good extraction efficiency, proving its feasibility for environmental water analysis.
• This approach offers a promising tool for the monitoring of indomethacin in complex matrices.