Protein recognition by polydopamine-based molecularly imprinted hollow spheres

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are crucial for selective analyte recognition.
• Developing efficient MIPs for biomolecules like horseradish peroxidase (HRP) remains a challenge.
• Hollow MIPs offer enhanced properties for molecular recognition applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile method for preparing hollow molecularly imprinted polymers (HMIPs).
• To achieve specific recognition and capture of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) from biological samples.
• To investigate the structural, kinetic, and selectivity properties of the synthesized HMIPs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized silica nanoparticles as a sacrificial template and dopamine as a functional monomer for HMIP synthesis.
• Modulated polydopamine shell thickness by adjusting the silica matrix to dopamine mass ratio.
• Systematically investigated polymerization conditions and HRP recognition behaviors using adsorption and selectivity studies.

Main Results:

• Achieved HMIPs with fast adsorption kinetics (25 min) and high binding capacity (172.1 mg/g).
• Demonstrated excellent reusability over at least four adsorption-regeneration cycles without significant performance degradation.
• Confirmed high binding specificity towards HRP, even in complex matrices like human serum.

Conclusions:

• The developed facile method successfully produced HMIPs with desirable properties for HRP recognition.
• The hollow structure is key to the enhanced adsorption kinetics, capacity, and reusability of the HMIPs.
• These HMIPs show significant potential for selective HRP enrichment from complex biological samples.