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Exclusive recognition of sarcosine in water and urine by a cavitand-functionalized silicon surface
Elisa Biavardi1, Cristina Tudisco, Francesca Maffei
1Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Industriale, University of Parma and Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali Unità di Ricerca Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 17/A, 43124 Parma, Italy.
Abstract:
A supramolecular approach for the specific detection of sarcosine, recently linked to the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer forms, has been developed. A hybrid active surface was prepared by the covalent anchoring on Si substrates of a tetraphosphonate cavitand as supramolecular receptor and it was proven able to recognize sarcosine from its nonmethylated precursor, glycine, in water and urine. The entire complexation process has been investigated in the solid state, in solution, and at the solid-liquid interface to determine and weight all the factors responsible of the observed specificity. The final outcome is a Si-based active surface capable of binding exclusively sarcosine. The complete selectivity of the cavitand-decorated surface under these stringent conditions represents a critical step forward in the use of these materials for the specific detection of sarcosine and related metabolites in biological fluids.
