Fabrication of a Selective and Sensitive Sensor Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymer/Acetylene Black for the Determination of Azithromycin in Pharmaceuticals and Biological Samples

PLoS One. 2016 Jan 28;11(1):e0147002. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147002. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

A new selective and sensitive sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer/acetylene black (MIP/AB) was developed for the determination of azithromycin (AZM) in pharmaceuticals and biological samples. The MIP of AZM was synthesized by precipitation polymerization. MIP and AB were then respectively introduced as selective and sensitive elements for the preparation of MIP/AB-modified carbon paste (MIP/ABP) electrode. The performance of the obtained sensor was estimated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques. Compared with non-molecularly imprinted polymer (NIP) electrodes, NIP/ABP electrodes, and MIP-modified carbon paste electrodes, MIP/ABP electrode exhibited excellent current response toward AZM. The prepared sensor also exhibited good selectivity for AZM in comparison with structurally similar compounds. The effect of electrode composition, extraction parameters, and electrolyte conditions on the current response of the sensor was investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the prepared sensor showed two dynamic linear ranges of 1.0 × 10-7 mol L-1 to 2.0 × 10-6 mol L-1 and 2.0 × 10-6 mol L-1 to 2.0 × 10-5 mol L-1, with a limit of detection of 1.1 × 10-8 mol L-1. These predominant properties ensured that the sensor exhibits excellent reliability for detecting AZM in pharmaceuticals and biological fluids without the assistance of any separation techniques. The results were validated by the high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Alkynes / chemical synthesis*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / analysis*
  • Azithromycin / analysis*
  • Chemical Precipitation
  • Electrochemical Techniques
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Limit of Detection
  • Molecular Imprinting
  • Polymerization
  • Polymers / chemical synthesis*
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Alkynes
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Polymers
  • Azithromycin

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Basic Research Grant (973) of China (Grant No. 2015CB352100), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21577043). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.