Superparamagnetic surface molecularly imprinted nanoparticles for sensitive solid-phase extraction of tramadol from...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Accurate determination of tramadol (TRA) in biological matrices is crucial for therapeutic drug monitoring and forensic analysis.
• Existing methods for TRA detection may lack the required speed, selectivity, or sensitivity for routine analysis.
• Development of novel nanomaterials offers potential for enhanced analytical performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid, selective, and sensitive method for tramadol determination in human urine.
• To utilize superparamagnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (MMIPNPs) as an efficient adsorbent for TRA extraction.
• To validate the proposed method for practical application in biological sample analysis.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of SiO2-Fe3O4 core-shell nanoparticles coated with a polyaminoimide homopolymer using tramadol as a template.
• Characterization of the synthesized MMIPNPs using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and magnetometry.
• Optimization of extraction parameters and subsequent spectrophotometric determination of desorbed tramadol at 272 nm.

Main Results:

• TEM images confirmed the successful coating of magnetic nanoparticles with silica and the molecularly imprinted polymer layer.
• The MMIPNPs exhibited good dispersion in water and efficient magnetic separation after adsorbate loading.
• A linear dynamic range of 3.0–200.0 ng mL⁻¹ for TRA was achieved with a limit of detection of 1.5 ng mL⁻¹.

Conclusions:

• The developed method based on MMIPNPs provides a rapid, selective, sensitive, and accurate approach for tramadol determination in human urine.
• The magnetic properties of the nanoparticles facilitate easy separation and reusability, making the method practical.
• This technique shows significant potential for routine analysis of tramadol in clinical and forensic settings.