Amorphous ZrO₂-Modified Polymeric Microspheres for Effective Separation of Nucleoside Analogues

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Nucleoside analogues play diverse biological roles, complicating drug efficacy and disease diagnosis.
• Effective separation of structurally similar nucleoside analogues is a significant analytical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for the selective separation of nucleoside analogues.
• To investigate the adsorption mechanisms governing the separation of adenosine, adenosine-5'-monophosphate, and deoxyadenosine.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a functional composite by depositing zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles on PS@PAA microspheres.
• Utilizing metal oxide affinity technology combined with solid-phase extraction for selective adsorption.
• Investigating adsorption mechanisms through coordination and hydrogen bonding interactions.

Main Results:

• Achieved selective adsorption of adenosine (Ado), adenosine-5'-monophosphate (AMP), and deoxyadenosine (dA) with high selectivity coefficients (α(AMP/Ado) = 23.73, α(Ado/dA) = 10.14).
• Demonstrated that selectivity arises from the coordination of Zr(IV) with diol/phosphate groups and hydrogen bonding.
• Successfully applied the developed protocol for effective separation of adenosine analogues from mixed samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed ZrO2-nanoparticle-functionalized composite offers a facile and effective strategy for separating nucleoside analogues.
• This approach enhances the potential for accurate drug therapeutic effect assessment and disease diagnosis.
• The study provides a versatile adsorption-elution protocol applicable to various structural analogues.