A Poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-Based Template Anchoring Strategy for the Synthesis of Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Highly Selective Serotonin Sensing

Neurotransmitters such as serotonin regulate key physiological and cognitive functions, yet real-time detection remains challenging due to the limitations of conventional techniques like amperometry and microdialysis. Fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (fMIP-NPs) offer a promisi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Madhav Biyani, Mizuki Matsumoto, Yasuo Yoshimi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Nanomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/13/977
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849428943829991424
author Madhav Biyani
Mizuki Matsumoto
Yasuo Yoshimi
author_facet Madhav Biyani
Mizuki Matsumoto
Yasuo Yoshimi
author_sort Madhav Biyani
collection DOAJ
description Neurotransmitters such as serotonin regulate key physiological and cognitive functions, yet real-time detection remains challenging due to the limitations of conventional techniques like amperometry and microdialysis. Fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (fMIP-NPs) offer a promising alternative and are typically synthesized via solid-phase synthesis, in which template molecules are covalently immobilized on a solid support to enable site-specific imprinting. However, strong template–template interactions during this process can compromise selectivity. To overcome this, we incorporated a poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-based template anchoring strategy to minimize undesired template interactions and enhance imprinting efficiency. We optimized the synthesis of poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide) under three different conditions by varying the monomer compositions and reaction parameters. The poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide) synthesized under Condition 3 (5:1 methacrolein-to-methacrylamide molar ratio, 1:150 initiator-to-total monomer ratio, and 4.59 M total monomer concentration) yielded the most selective fMIP-NPs, whose fluorescence intensity increased with an increase in serotonin concentration, rising by up to 37% upon serotonin binding. This improvement is attributed to higher aldehyde functionality in the poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide) which enhances template immobilization and generates a rigid imprinted cavity to interact with serotonin. These findings suggest that the developed fMIP-NPs hold significant potential as imaging probes for neurotransmitter detection, contributing to advanced studies in neural network analysis.
format Article
id doaj-art-1bdb81f0aa6d4b2abf697ecfd19483a9
institution Kabale University
issn 2079-4991
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Nanomaterials
spelling doaj-art-1bdb81f0aa6d4b2abf697ecfd19483a92025-08-20T03:28:32ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912025-06-01151397710.3390/nano15130977A Poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-Based Template Anchoring Strategy for the Synthesis of Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Highly Selective Serotonin SensingMadhav Biyani0Mizuki Matsumoto1Yasuo Yoshimi2Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Shibaura Institute of Technology, 3-7-5 Toyosu, Koto-Ku, Tokyo 135-8548, JapanChemical Engineering Laboratory, Shibaura Institute of Technology, 3-7-5 Toyosu, Koto-Ku, Tokyo 135-8548, JapanChemical Engineering Laboratory, Shibaura Institute of Technology, 3-7-5 Toyosu, Koto-Ku, Tokyo 135-8548, JapanNeurotransmitters such as serotonin regulate key physiological and cognitive functions, yet real-time detection remains challenging due to the limitations of conventional techniques like amperometry and microdialysis. Fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (fMIP-NPs) offer a promising alternative and are typically synthesized via solid-phase synthesis, in which template molecules are covalently immobilized on a solid support to enable site-specific imprinting. However, strong template–template interactions during this process can compromise selectivity. To overcome this, we incorporated a poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-based template anchoring strategy to minimize undesired template interactions and enhance imprinting efficiency. We optimized the synthesis of poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide) under three different conditions by varying the monomer compositions and reaction parameters. The poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide) synthesized under Condition 3 (5:1 methacrolein-to-methacrylamide molar ratio, 1:150 initiator-to-total monomer ratio, and 4.59 M total monomer concentration) yielded the most selective fMIP-NPs, whose fluorescence intensity increased with an increase in serotonin concentration, rising by up to 37% upon serotonin binding. This improvement is attributed to higher aldehyde functionality in the poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide) which enhances template immobilization and generates a rigid imprinted cavity to interact with serotonin. These findings suggest that the developed fMIP-NPs hold significant potential as imaging probes for neurotransmitter detection, contributing to advanced studies in neural network analysis.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/13/977solid-phase synthesisfluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (fMIP-NPs)polymer-anchored immobilizationserotonin
spellingShingle Madhav Biyani
Mizuki Matsumoto
Yasuo Yoshimi
A Poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-Based Template Anchoring Strategy for the Synthesis of Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Highly Selective Serotonin Sensing
Nanomaterials
solid-phase synthesis
fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (fMIP-NPs)
polymer-anchored immobilization
serotonin
title A Poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-Based Template Anchoring Strategy for the Synthesis of Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Highly Selective Serotonin Sensing
title_full A Poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-Based Template Anchoring Strategy for the Synthesis of Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Highly Selective Serotonin Sensing
title_fullStr A Poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-Based Template Anchoring Strategy for the Synthesis of Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Highly Selective Serotonin Sensing
title_full_unstemmed A Poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-Based Template Anchoring Strategy for the Synthesis of Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Highly Selective Serotonin Sensing
title_short A Poly(methacrolein-<i>co</i>-methacrylamide)-Based Template Anchoring Strategy for the Synthesis of Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for Highly Selective Serotonin Sensing
title_sort poly methacrolein i co i methacrylamide based template anchoring strategy for the synthesis of fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for highly selective serotonin sensing
topic solid-phase synthesis
fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (fMIP-NPs)
polymer-anchored immobilization
serotonin
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/13/977
work_keys_str_mv AT madhavbiyani apolymethacroleinicoimethacrylamidebasedtemplateanchoringstrategyforthesynthesisoffluorescentmolecularlyimprintedpolymernanoparticlesforhighlyselectiveserotoninsensing
AT mizukimatsumoto apolymethacroleinicoimethacrylamidebasedtemplateanchoringstrategyforthesynthesisoffluorescentmolecularlyimprintedpolymernanoparticlesforhighlyselectiveserotoninsensing
AT yasuoyoshimi apolymethacroleinicoimethacrylamidebasedtemplateanchoringstrategyforthesynthesisoffluorescentmolecularlyimprintedpolymernanoparticlesforhighlyselectiveserotoninsensing
AT madhavbiyani polymethacroleinicoimethacrylamidebasedtemplateanchoringstrategyforthesynthesisoffluorescentmolecularlyimprintedpolymernanoparticlesforhighlyselectiveserotoninsensing
AT mizukimatsumoto polymethacroleinicoimethacrylamidebasedtemplateanchoringstrategyforthesynthesisoffluorescentmolecularlyimprintedpolymernanoparticlesforhighlyselectiveserotoninsensing
AT yasuoyoshimi polymethacroleinicoimethacrylamidebasedtemplateanchoringstrategyforthesynthesisoffluorescentmolecularlyimprintedpolymernanoparticlesforhighlyselectiveserotoninsensing