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An arginine chiral sensor based on walnut-like molecularly imprinted polymers
Yiyun Liu1, Xuan Yuan1, Sha Luo1
1Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials Protection for Electric Power and Transportation & Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cytochemistry, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, China. wuling@csust.edu.cn.
A new chiral sensor using walnut-shaped molecularly imprinted polymers (w-MIPs) offers highly sensitive detection of D- and L-arginine (Arg). This advancement enables precise chiral discrimination crucial for biomedical and food science applications.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Chiral amino acid enantiomers (D- and L-) have distinct biological roles, necessitating enantioselective discrimination in biomedicine, pharmacology, and food science.
- Existing methods for chiral analysis can be complex or lack the required sensitivity and selectivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel chiral sensor for highly sensitive and selective recognition of D- and L-arginine (Arg).
- To establish walnut-shaped molecularly imprinted polymers (w-MIPs) as a robust platform for chiral sensing applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of core-shell walnut-shaped molecularly imprinted polymers (w-MIPs) via precipitation polymerization.
- Characterization of w-MIPs using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).
- Electrochemical detection of Arg based on preferential capture and subsequent oxidation.
Main Results:
- The developed chiral sensor demonstrated a broad linear range (0.005-5000 nM) and ultra-low detection limits (1.34 pM for L-Arg; 1.20 pM for D-Arg).
- The sensor exhibited high binding affinity for L-Arg, enabling effective chiral discrimination.
- Accurate determination of L-Arg in pig serum (95.0-103.0% recovery), with results consistent with HPLC analysis.
Conclusions:
- Walnut-shaped molecularly imprinted polymers (w-MIPs) provide a powerful platform for developing sensitive and selective chiral sensors.
- The developed sensor shows significant potential for applications in drug monitoring, clinical diagnostics, and biochemical analysis.
- This technology facilitates precise enantioselective discrimination of chiral amino acids.
