Molecularly imprinted polymers prepared in aqueous solution selective for [Sar1,Ala8] angiotensin II

Conventional molecular imprinting technology allows the synthesis in organic solvents of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) selective toward relatively low molecular weight compounds. However, synthesis in aqueous media of chemically and mechanically stable MIPs that can recognize biomolecules such as peptides and proteins still is a great challenge. In this article, we report the successful synthesis of peptide-selective MIPs in aqueous solution. HPLC evaluation of these polymers with a water-based mobile phase showed their selectivity for the peptide, [Sar1,Ala8]angiotensin II (SA), that had been used as the template, but not for its parent peptide angiotensin II (AII). The binding capacity and selectivity of our MIPs depended on the ratio of template to functional monomer in the polymerization mixture, as well as on the ionic strength and pH of the chromatographic mobile phase. These MIPs can be used for chromatographic detection of the octapeptide [Sar1,Ala8]angiotensin II in aqueous solution, with a detection limit of 8 pmol and a response that is linear (r^2>0.99) over the concentration range 0.4–20 (mu)M.