Intelligent drug release using molecular imprinting methods Recognitive systems for angiotensin II

Molecularly imprinted polymer carriers have a large potential for use as drug delivery systems using the recognitive mechanism as the trigger for the release of a therapeutic compound in response to external stimuli or even as the sensing element to give feedback as part of a biological sensor. We discuss the principles of this process using a type of molecular imprinting termed "configurational biomimesis" which produces polymeric surfaces or polymeric recognitive networks that have three dimensional, stereospecific binding micro- and nanocavities based on a given template molecule. The new synthetic recognitive biomaterials are designed to mimic biological recognition, which is ultimately an improvement over using expensive and unstable naturally occurring biological macromolecules and ligands. We show an application to the recognition of angiotensin II, a biomarker of high blood pressure.