Application of molecularly imprinted polymer solid-phase extraction for salivary cotinine

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biomedical Science
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Cigarette smoke exposure is a significant public health concern.
• Accurate monitoring of smoking habits requires reliable biomarkers.
• Cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, is a widely accepted biomarker for tobacco smoke exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel analytical method for cotinine determination in saliva.
• To establish a reliable tool for routine cotinine analysis.
• To facilitate the monitoring of cigarette smoke exposure in individuals.

Main Methods:

• Development of a molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) technique.
• Coupling MISPE with high-performance liquid chromatography and a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD).
• Optimization of extraction, washing, and elution parameters for cotinine from saliva samples.

Main Results:

• The developed MISPE-HPLC-DAD method demonstrated excellent linearity (r > 0.99) from 30 to 500 ng mL(-1).
• High precision and accuracy were achieved, with intra-assay and inter-assay variations ranging from 3.1% to 15.9%.
• Low detection (10 ng mL(-1)) and quantification (30 ng mL(-1)) limits were established.
• Applied to smokers' samples, cotinine levels ranged from 66.7 to 316.16 ng mL(-1).

Conclusions:

• The developed MISPE-HPLC-DAD method provides a reliable and sensitive approach for cotinine quantification in saliva.
• This method is suitable for routine cotinine determination and effective for monitoring cigarette smoke exposure.
• The study successfully applied the method to assess cotinine levels in active smokers.