Molecularly imprinted polymers for solid-phase extraction of 1-methyladenosine from human urine

A highly selective molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for 1-methyladenosine (1-MA), an urinary modified nucleoside used as cancer marker, was prepared and its use as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent material was demonstrated. The MIP was prepared by a very simple procedure using methacrylic acid as functional monomer and a mixture acetonitrile/water (4/1, v/v) as porogen, overcoming in this way the problems usually related to the imprinting of biological polar compounds. The MIP was tested in batch experiments in order to evaluate its binding properties and then used as SPE sorbent for the selective clean-up and pre-concentration of 1-MA. The extraction protocol was successfully applied to the direct extraction of 1-MA from spiked human urine indicating that the MIP allowed 1-MA to be pre-concentrated while simultaneously interfering compounds were removed from the matrix.