Elaboration of levothyroxine-selective molecularly imprinted nanostructured films

DIANA ESTENOZ; FEDERICO FOOKES; CARLOS BUSATTO; NATALIA CASIS

San Sebastián

Congreso; GEP-SLAP2022 (XVI Reunión del Grupo Especializado de Polímeros GEP 2022 y XVII Simposio Latinoamericano de Polímeros - SLAP 2022); 2022

Universidad del País Vasco

Molecular imprinting technology is based on the elaboration of a polymeric material with a selective capacity to adsorb molecules of interest due to the creation of highly specific sites formed during the synthesis.Thyroid hormones have numerous vital functions in the body as they are involved in the development of the nervous system and regulate various metabolic functions. These compounds are similar in chemical structure to thyroxine. The hormone levothyroxine (T4) is usually found in a healthy adult at levels between 100-200 ng/dL. These low concentrations determine the chemical analysis since they make it difficult to find efficient methods for detection and quantification.Hydrogels with submicrometer pores have a high surface-to-volume ratio that gives them lower resistance to mass transfer. Therefore, the combination of molecular imprinting technology with nanostructured films offers the possibility of developing platforms for the rapid detection of hormones at low concentrations.In the current work, nanostructured MIPs were synthesized from deposits of SiO2 particles for the selective binding of T4. The morphological parameters of the developed materials and their T4 adsorption capacity were studied.