Small molecule recognition based on molecularly imprinted labels

In this study, an innovative molecularly imprinted recognition strategy was proposed to achieve specific recognition labeling of L-arginine. This strategy provides a feasible and effective solution to the challenges facing small molecule recognition and labeling in the biomedical field. Currently, specific recognition units such as aptamers are commonly used to recognize and label small molecules. However, the acquisition of small molecule recognition units is extremely difficult. To address this issue, we report a simple and versatile method to synthesize nanosphere probes for small molecule recognition labeling. According to the structure of molecules, one end structure is used as a template and combined with molecular imprinting technology (MIT) to construct molecular imprinting labels (MIL). The core of this technology lies in the partial recognition of small molecules by the MIL, constructing a MIL-based small molecule sensors. As a proof of concept, L-arginine (L-Arg) was chosen as a model analyte to construct the electrochemical sensor, and one end of L-Arg was structurally oriented and immobilized on the electrode substrate, MIL probes with specific recognition function were successfully prepared to recognize and label the other end structure of L-Arg. The limit of detection (LOD) of the sensor is 12.02 pM (S/N = 3) and the linearity range is from 1 nM to 1 mM, respectively. This recognition strategy is promising for substance labeling and provides a general concept for areas related to molecular research.