Imprinted functionalized silica sol-gel for solid-phase extraction of triazolamin

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Separation Science

Background:

• Molecular imprinting is a powerful technique for creating selective recognition materials.
• Silica microspheres offer a robust and versatile platform for chromatographic applications.
• Developing selective extraction methods is crucial for analyzing pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in complex matrices like urine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize triazolam-imprinted silica microspheres using surface molecular imprinting and sol-gel methods.
• To evaluate the selectivity and binding affinity of the imprinted microspheres for triazolam.
• To apply the developed imprinted material for the selective solid-phase extraction of triazolam and its metabolite from human urine.

Main Methods:

• Surface molecular imprinting technique combined with the sol-gel process.
• Synthesis of silica microspheres using specific monomers (γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane).
• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for evaluating retention factor (k) and imprinting factor (IF).
• Solid-phase extraction (SPE) for sample preparation from human urine.

Main Results:

• Triazolam-imprinted silica microspheres using phenyltrimethoxysilane showed higher selectivity compared to methyltriethoxysilane.
• Optimal affinity was achieved at a molar ratio of 4.2:4.7:0.6 for γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, and triazolam.
• HPLC analysis yielded a retention factor (k) of 2.1 and an imprinting factor (IF) of 35 for triazolam using methanol/water (1:1, v/v) as the mobile phase.
• Successful application of SPE for selective extraction of triazolam and α-hydroxytriazolam from urine, with limits of detection (LOD) of 30 ± 0.21 ng/mL and 33 ± 0.26 ng/mL, respectively.

Conclusions:

• The developed triazolam-imprinted silica microspheres demonstrate excellent molecular recognition capabilities.
• The imprinted material is effective for selective solid-phase extraction of triazolam and its metabolite from biological samples.
• This method offers a promising approach for the analysis of triazolam in clinical and forensic toxicology.