Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026

08:22
Ultrasensitive Detection of Biomarkers by Using a Molecular Imprinting Based Capacitive Biosensor
Published on: February 16, 2018
Optical detection of chloramphenicol using molecularly imprinted polymers
R Levi1, S McNiven, S A Piletsky
1Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153, Japan.
Analytical Chemistry
|June 7, 2011
Summary
A new optical sensor using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) accurately detects chloramphenicol (CAP) in serum. This selective method offers rapid, reliable CAP quantification across therapeutic and toxic ranges.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Polymer Science
- Biomedical Sensing
Background:
- Accurate determination of chloramphenicol (CAP) is crucial for therapeutic drug monitoring and toxicity assessment.
- Existing methods for CAP detection can be complex or lack the required selectivity and speed.
- Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) offer a promising platform for creating selective recognition sites for small molecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a practical optical sensing system for the selective and rapid determination of chloramphenicol (CAP).
- To utilize molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in conjunction with HPLC for enhanced CAP detection.
- To validate the system's performance for CAP quantification in biological matrices like serum.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of MIPs using (diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate as the functional monomer with a monomer:template ratio of 2:1.
- Development of a competitive displacement assay where chloramphenicol-methyl red (CAP-MR) conjugate is displaced by CAP from MIP binding sites.
- Utilizing High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with a mobile phase containing CAP-MR for detection of displaced conjugate at 460 nm.
Main Results:
- The developed MIP-based optical sensor demonstrated a linear response for CAP detection over a wide range (3-1000 μg/mL).
- The system effectively detected CAP extracted from serum samples, showing practical applicability.
- The method exhibited selectivity, capable of discriminating between CAP and similar molecules like thiamphenicol.
Conclusions:
- A tailor-made, selective, and rapid optical sensing system for CAP determination using MIPs and HPLC has been successfully developed.
- The system is effective for quantifying CAP across therapeutic and potentially toxic serum concentration ranges.
- The generalizability of this MIP-based approach suggests potential for detecting other families of molecules with distinct functional group arrangements.

