Preparation of 17β-estradiol surface molecularly imprinted polymers and their application to the analysis of biological samples

Determination of 17β-estradiol in commercial pasteurized and sterilized milk samples in Mashhad, Iran

Due to nutritional facts of milk in human life, the quality assessment of dairy products is of the utmost importance. The aim of the current study was to determine the 17β-estradiol level in commercial pasteurized and sterilized milk brands in Mashhad, Iran. In this regard, 160 samples including 80 pasteurized (40 high-fat and 40 low-fat) and 80 sterilized milk (40 high-fat and 40 low-fat) of widely used brands from different supermarkets were collected. The mean level of 17β-estradiol was 8.2 ± 0.59 pg/ml. The mean amount of estradiol was found to be 7.6 ± 0.47, 7.9 ± 0.45, 8.6 ± 0.63, and 8.9 ± 0.54 pg/ml for the low-fat pasteurized, low-fat sterilized, high-fat pasteurized and high-fat sterilized milk, respectively. There was no significant difference between the amount of estradiol in pasteurized and sterilized milk. As expected, the level of estradiol was statistically higher in high fat milks than that of low-fat milks. Considering the levels of 17β-estradiol measured here and the maximum permissible daily level of external estradiol entered to body through edible products recommended by EU and CAC (3.5 µg), at least in the short term, there will be no remarkable impact on the endocrine system. However, judging the long-term effects of using these products is not easy and simple at all, as cancers develop during a long period of time and has a multifactorial etiology.

Preparation of poly(vinylphenylboronic acid) chain grafted poly(glycidylmethacrylate-co-ethylenedimethacrylate) beads for the selective enrichment of glycoprotein

Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization was successfully used to prepare 4-vinylphenylboronic acid functionalized poly(glycidylmethacrylate-co-ethylenedimethacrylate) beads for the selective enrichment of glycoprotein from complex biological samples in this study. The modified bead surfaces were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The sorption behaviors, including adsorption isotherms, incubation time, and pH effect, were investigated. The results demonstrated that the boronated beads have a high affinity for glycoprotein, which is due to the well-defined boronic acid brushes on the beads surfaces. Furthermore, the polyvinylphenylboronic acid grafted poly(glycidylmethacrylate-co-ethylenedimethacrylate) beads were used to efficiently enrich and purify glycoprotein from real egg white samples and α-fetoprotein from human serum samples. The mass spectrometry results demonstrated that the polyvinylphenylboronic acid grafted poly(glycidylmethacrylate-co-ethylenedimethacrylate) beads are a suitable material for the enrichment of glycosylated protein from complex biological samples.

Novel magnetic multi-template molecularly imprinted polymers for specific separation and determination of three endocrine disrupting compounds simultaneously in environmental water samples

A novel type of superparamagnetic molecularly imprinted polymers introducing unique concept of multi-template for specific separation and determination of three endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) simultaneously.