Synthesis of magnetic dual-template molecularly imprinted nanoparticles for the specific removal of two high-abundance proteins simultaneously in blood plasma

Abstract

Novel core-shell dual-template molecularly imprinted superparamagnetic nanoparticles were synthesized using bovine hemoglobin and bovine serum albumin as the templates for the efficient depletion of these two high-abundance proteins from blood plasma for the first time. The preparation process combined surface imprinting technique and a two-step immobilized template strategy. The obtained polymers were fully characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The results showed that the as-synthesized nanomaterials possessed homogeneous and thin imprinted shells with a thickness of about 5 nm, stable crystalline phase, and superparamagnetism. The binding performance of the imprinted polymers was investigated through a series of adsorption experiments, which indicated that the products had satisfactory recognition ability for bovine hemoglobin and bovine serum albumin. The resultant nanoparticles were also successfully applied to simultaneously selective removal of two proteins from a real bovine blood sample.

Keywords: Dual templates; Magnetic separation; Proteins; Surface imprinting.