Semi-automated solid-phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons based on stainless steel meshes coated with metal-organic framework/graphene oxide

Environmentally sustainable needle hub in-syringe μ-SPE method using metal-organic gel for on-site extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples

A green, simple, low-cost, miniaturized, and portable needle hub-in-syringe micro solid phase extraction (NH-IS-μ-SPE) method was developed using a green metal-organic gel (MOG) sorbent. Coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography diode array detector (HPLC-DAD), this approach enables efficient extraction and preconcentration of seven selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) directly from environmental water samples, facilitating on-site sample preparation. Key parameters affecting extraction efficiency were systematically optimized, supported by molecular docking to elucidate interaction mechanisms. The method demonstrated excellent linearity across the range of 0.05-100 μg L-1 with high correlation coefficients (R2: 0.9985-0.9999 in blank water, 0.9906-0.9976 in domestic water, and 0.9923-0.9991 in river water). Limits of quantification and detection were achieved in the ranges of 0.02-1.2 μg L-1 and 0.008-0.4 μg L-1, respectively, with strong intra-, inter-day, and inter-batch precision (RSD ≤ 8.5 %). The proposed device demonstrated notable cost-effectiveness, attributed to the low raw material cost of Al-MOG (MYR 2.56 g-1) and its reusability for 10 extraction cycles. The analyte-loaded sorbents remained stable up to 5 days across diverse water matrices, revealing the method's potential for practical on-site extraction. Analysis of environmental water samples yielded satisfactory recoveries of 77.7-118.0 %. While the manual operation limits high-throughput applications, the approach adheres to green analytical chemistry principles by minimizing solvent and sample consumption. Comprehensive validations using GAPI, AGREE, AGREEprep, BAGI, and the RGB model confirm the method's practical applicability, environmental sustainability, and analytical performance in microextraction technologies.

Effect of magnetized solvent on the porosity of magnetic graphene oxide@zirconium-based metal-organic framework sorbent for efficient extraction of remdesivir

In this study, the effect of magnetized solvent on the synthesis and properties of magnetic graphene oxide@UiO-66 (MGO@UiO-66) nanocomposite as sorbent was investigated. The prepared sorbent was used for the magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of remdesivir drug from water and plasma samples. The extracted remdesivir was quantitatively determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA). The MGO@UiO-66 sorbents were characterized using various techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Brauer-emmett-teller analysis (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and vibrating-sample magnetometry. The optimization of extraction parameters such as desorption solvent and its volume, sorbent amount, pH, desorption conditions, and extraction time were investigated and studied. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration plot for remdesivir was linear within the range of 0.1-300 ng mL-1 and limits of detection (0.03 ng mL-1). The MSPE-HPLC-PDA method showed good extraction recovery and relative standard deviations (RSD%) in the range of 95.5-99.5 % and 3.8-4.7 %, respectively. Furthermore, the method that was effectively utilized to analyze remdesivir in water and plasma samples, resulted in relative recoveries ranging from 95.5 % to 99.3 %.

Recent Trends in the Development of Green Analytical Sample Preparation Methods Using Advanced Materials

Recent concern about the impact of environmental preservation and the health of living beings has opened new avenues for scientific research. In this context, contemporary analytical chemistry has been marked by the development of green analytical methodologies, which aim to reduce the use of toxic reagents and minimize the environmental impact of analytical processes. Progress in this area involves the optimization of sample preparation techniques and the use of new functional materials, which contribute to a more sustainable and efficient analysis. Among these methodologies, miniaturized sample preparation techniques stand out, as they use smaller volumes of solvents and offer high sensitivity and selectivity. The use of advanced materials, such as molecularly imprinted polymers, MOFs, and conductive polymers, has driven innovation in analytical procedures regarding complex matrices, including environmental, food, and biological samples. These materials offer high selectivity and stability, improving efficiency in the extraction and detection of specific analytes. This review explores the integration of sustainable and green methodologies. It critically highlights applications and evaluates them using the Analytical Greenness Metric for Sample Preparation, based on publications from the past 6 years.

Dispersive micro-solid phase extraction based on two MOFs as highly effective adsorbents for analysis of nilotinib in plasma and wastewater

BACKGROUND

Nilotinib (NIL) is a prescription medication employed in the treatment of specific types of leukemia, namely chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The determination of NIL levels in patients undergoing treatment for CML is of paramount importance for effective management of treatment and toxicity. Also, monitoring and controlling its level in wastewater sources could help scientists to identify potential hotspots of contamination and take appropriate measures to mitigate their impact on the environment and public health.

OBJECTIVES

This study presents a D-µ-SPE technique utilizing two MOFs as adsorbents for the efficient detection of nilotinib in plasma and wastewater samples for the first time.

METHODS

Two highly effective MOFs, MIL-101(Fe) and MIL-53(Al), were synthesized and applied as dispersive micro-solid phase extraction (D-µ-SPE) adsorbents for the extraction of nilotinib coupled with HPLC-UV in a short time of analysis. Experimental parameters affecting extraction efficacy such as adsorbent amount, ionic strength, pH value, adsorption-desorption time and type of elution solvent, were optimized.

RESULTS

Under optimal experimental conditions, the linear dynamic was achieved in the range of 0.25-5.00 µg/mL in human plasma and 0.01-0.20 µg/mL in wastewater. The extraction recovery was in the range of 89.18-91.53% and 94.39-99.60% for nilotinib and MIL-101(Fe) and also 91.22-97.35% and 98.14-100.78% for nilotinib and MIL-53(Al) from human plasma and wastewater respectively.

CONCLUSION

HPLC-UV determination of nilotinib after the D-µ-SPE method showed acceptable accuracy and precision in both plasma and wastewater. In comparison between the two adsorbents, the extraction procedure was easier and faster with MIL-53(Al) as the adsorbent.

Biomolecular Interactions and Anticancer Mechanisms of Ru(II)-Arene Complexes of Cinnamaldehyde-Derived Thiosemicarbazone Ligands: Analysis Combining In Silico and In Vitro Approaches

Our study focuses on synthesizing and exploring the potential of three N-(4) substituted thiosemicarbazones derived from cinnamic aldehyde, alongside their Ru(II)-(η6 -p-cymene)/(η6-benzene) complexes. The synthesized compounds were comprehensively characterized using a range of analytical techniques, including FT-IR, UV-visible spectroscopy, NMR (1H, 13C), and HRMS. We investigated their electronic and physicochemical properties via density functional theory (DFT). X-ray crystal structures validated structural differences identified by DFT. Molecular docking predicted promising bioactivities, supported by experimental observations. Notably, docking with EGFR suggested an inhibitory potential against this cancer-related protein. Spectroscopic titrations revealed significant DNA/BSA binding affinities, particularly with DNA intercalation and BSA hydrophobic interactions. RuPCAM displayed the strongest binding affinity with DNA (Kb = 6.23 × 107 M-1) and BSA (Kb = 9.75 × 105 M-1). Assessed the cytotoxicity of the complexes on cervical cancer cells (HeLa), and breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and MDA-MB 231), revealing remarkable potency. Additionally, selectivity was assessed by examining MCF-10a normal cell lines. The active complexes were found to trigger apoptosis, a vital cellular process crucial for evaluating their potential as anticancer agents utilizing staining assays and flow cytometry analysis. Intriguingly, complexation with Ru(II)-arene precursors significantly amplified the bioactivity of thiosemicarbazones, unveiling promising avenues toward the creation of powerful anticancer agents.

A poly(o-phenylenediamine) coated aluminum garter spring micro-solid phase extractor for pyrethroids in chili

An aluminum garter spring coated with poly(o-phenylenediamine) (PoPD) was developed as a sorbent for the micro-solid phase extraction of seven pyrethroids, bifenthrin, fenpropathrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin, permethrin, cypermethrin and deltamethrin from fresh chili, chili flakes, and curry pastes. The extraction was qualified and quantified by a gas chromatograph coupled with an electron capture detector. Under optimum conditions, the linearity was at a concentration range of 10-3000 µg kg-1. The limits of detection and limits of quantitation of 9.3 to 34.2 μg kg-1, and 11.8 to 48.6 μg kg-1, respectively, were obtained with good sorbent-to-sorbent reproducibility, and outstanding reusability. When applied to determine the seven pyrethroids in chili samples, some pyrethroids were detected up to 30.3 ± 1.2 μg kg-1. This proposed method is simple, with potential applications in the trace analysis of other compounds.

Developing magnetic functionalized dendritic fibrous mesoporous silica as advanced adsorbent for quaternary ammonium alkaloids

A novel π-conjugated polymer-modified magnetic dendritic fibrous mesoporous silica adsorbent (MB@KCC-1@π-CP) is reported for the accurate determination of quaternary ammonium alkaloids (QAAs) in complex body fluid matrices. It is demonstrated that the magnetic dendritic fibrous mesoporous silica (MB@KCC-1) is an excellent carrier combining magnetism, high specific surface area, unique hierarchical pore structure, and fast mass transfer rate. The π-conjugated polymer (π-CP) can efficiently retain QAAs (berberine, coptisine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine) by multiple interactions. In addition, the adsorption kinetics and adsorption mechanism were also studied and discussed. Under optimized extraction conditions, MB@KCC-1@π-CP-based magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method affords a wide linear range (0.5-20000 ng mL-1), low limits of detection (0.2-2 ng mL-1), and satisfactory relative standard deviations (RSD) of inter-day (< 2.4%) and intra-day (< 3.1%) for QAAs. Trace QAAs in complex human blood plasma samples were successfully detected by the established method.

Exploring the antimicrobial potential of isoniazid loaded Cu-based metal-organic frameworks as a novel strategy for effective killing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most infectious pathogens with the highest human mortality and morbidity. Biofilm formation during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection is responsible for bacterial growth, communication, and, most essentially, increased resistance/tolerance to antibiotics leading to higher bacterial persistence. Thus, biofilm growth is presently considered a key virulence factor in the case of chronic disease. Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have recently emerged as a highly efficient system to improve existing antibiotics' therapeutic efficacy and reduce adverse effects. In this regard, we have synthesized Cu-MOF (IITI-3) using a solvothermal approach. IITI-3 was well characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. Herein, IITI-3 was first encapsulated with isoniazid (INH) to form INH@IITI-3 with 10 wt% loading within 1 hour. INH@IITI-3 was well characterized by PXRD, TGA, FTIR, and BET surface area analysis. Furthermore, the drug release kinetics studies of INH@IITI-3 have been performed at pH 5.8 and 7.4 to mimic the small intestine and blood pH, respectively. The results show that drug release follows first-order kinetics. Furthermore, the antimycobacterial activity of INH@IITI-3 demonstrated significant bacterial killing and altered the structural morphology of the bacteria. Moreover, INH@IITI-3 was able to inhibit the mycobacterial biofilm formation upon treatment and showed less cytotoxicity toward the murine RAW264.7 macrophages. Thus, this work significantly opens up new possibilities for the applications of INH@IITI-3 in biofilm infections in Mtb and further contributes to TB therapeutics.

Surfactant-enhanced air-agitation liquid-liquid microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from edible oil using magnetic deep eutectic solvent prior to HPLC determination

Herein, an air-agitation liquid-liquid microextraction procedure was developed for the extraction of several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from edible oil samples. In this study, the extraction procedure was achieved using a new magnetic deep eutectic solvent as the extraction solvent, in which there was no need for centrifugation. To enhance the rate of extraction of the analytes from the samples, the method was promoted by the use of surfactant addition. The extracted analytes were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector. The influence of various parameters on the extraction efficiency was studied by response surface methodology using a central composite design. Under optimal conditions, linear calibration curves for the target analytes were achieved in the range of 0.43-250 ng g-1. The limits of detection and quantification were in the ranges of 0.04-0.13 and 0.13-0.43 ng g-1, respectively. The repeatability of the method in terms of intra- and inter-day precision was ≤4.7% and ≤6.7%, respectively. The extraction recovery of the method ranged from 75 to 88%. The obtained results show that the proposed method is efficient for the analysis of the target analytes in various oil samples without obvious matrix effects. Pyrene was found in olive oil at a concentration of 42 ng g-1.

Magnetic solid-phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples using magnetic carbon nanofiber/MIL-101(Cr) nanocomposites

In this study, magnetic carbon nanofibers (Fe3O4@CNF) were modified with MIL-101(Cr) (Fe3O4@CNF@MIL-101) and used as sorbents for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from real water samples. Gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) was used for the determination of the PAHs. The effect of experimental variables on the extraction efficiency of PAHs was investigated and optimized. These variables include the quantity of sorbent, the kind and volume of the elution solvent, the duration of extraction and desorption, and the salt concentration. The linear range was found to be 0.01 to 200 ng mL-1 with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9906 to 0.9931 after the effective extraction parameters were optimized. Its detection limits (LOD) were also calculated to be between 0.003 and 0.005 ng mL-1 (S/N = 3). The method's repeatability was tested at three different concentration levels (0.1, 1, and 10 ng mL-1), and relative standard deviations (RSDs%) were obtained in the range of 2.3 to 5.0%. Finally, using the MSPE-GC-FID method, PAHs were extracted from tap water, wastewater, seawater, and spring water samples. The relative recoveries were in the range of 95.7 to 99.8%.

Metal-Organic Framework Gels for Adsorption and Catalytic Detoxification of Chemical Warfare Agents: A Review

Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) have brought great threats to human life and social stability, and it is critical to investigate protective materials. MOF (metal-organic framework) gels are a class with an extended MOF architecture that are mainly formed using metal-ligand coordination as an effective force to drive gelation, and these gels combine the unique characteristics of MOFs and organic gel materials. They have the advantages of a hierarchically porous structure, a large specific surface area, machinable block structures and rich metal active sites, which inherently meet the requirements for adsorption and catalytic detoxification of CWAs. A series of advances have been made in the adsorption and catalytic detoxification of MOF gels as chemical warfare agents; however, overall, they are still in their infancy. This review briefly introduces the latest advances in MOF gels, including pure MOF gels and MOF composite gels, and discusses the application of MOF gels in the adsorption and catalytic detoxification of CWAs. Meanwhile, the influence of microstructures (pore structures, metal active site, etc.) on the detoxification performance of protective materials is also discussed, which is of great significance in the exploration of high-efficiency protective materials. Finally, the review looks ahead to next priorities. Hopefully, this review can inspire more and more researchers to enrich the performance of MOF gels for applications in chemical protection and other purification and detoxification processes.

Electrospun mesh pattern of polyvinyl alcohol/zirconium-based metal-organic framework nanocomposite as a sorbent for extraction of phthalate esters

Herein, an electrospun composite polyvinyl alcohol/zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (PVA@UiO-66) nanofiber coating was prepared on the surface of stainless steel mesh (SSM) and then utilized as novel sorbent for the extraction of phthalate esters (PEs) in milk and water samples. Gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) was used for the quantitative determination of extracted analytes. The SSM coated with PVA@UiO-66 was used in a polypropylene syringe to fabricate the solid-phase extraction (SPE) device. The PVA@UiO-66 nanofiber coating was confirmed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis (FT-IR), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The effective parameters of the extraction efficiency including volume and type of desorption solvent, sample volume, ionic strength, pH, extraction flow rate, and desorption flow rate were optimized. At the optimal extraction conditions, the calibration plots for phthalate esters were linear within the range of 0.05-100 ng mL-1 and, low detection limits (0.015-0.06 ng mL-1). Finally, this semi-automated SPE was used for the extraction and detection of phthalate esters (PEs) in milk and various environmental real water samples. The results showed good precision with acceptable and satisfactory extraction recovery values ranging from 89.5 to 99.2% and relative standard deviations (RSDs%) ranging from 4.5 to 6.9%.

Nanofiber-based sorbents: Current status and applications in extraction methods

Advanced sorbents gradually become a research hotspot on account of the increasing attention paid to environmental problems. Due to the prominent physicochemical features of nanofibers (NFs), such as high porosity, large surface area, favorable interconnectivity, high adsorption capacity, wettability, and the possibility of surface modification using functional groups, these nanostructures are regarded as excellent candidates for extraction applications. Therefore, the research in the field of NFs and their nanocomposites has been increasing in recent years. In the present review, we summarize the most recent studies on NFs-based sorbents focusing on strategies for preparation, characterization, and their unique capabilities as porous sorbents in various sorbent-based extraction methods. Moreover, we further described the performance and selectivity of sorbents to achieve improved extraction efficiency. Finally, some perspectives on the challenges and outlook are provided to aid future investigations related to this topic.

Nanomaterials with Excellent Adsorption Characteristics for Sample Pretreatment: A Review

Sample pretreatment in analytical chemistry is critical, and the selection of materials for sample pretreatment is a key factor for high enrichment ability, good practicality, and satisfactory recoveries. In this review, the recent progress of the sample pretreatment methods based on various nanomaterials (i.e., carbon nanomaterials, porous nanomaterials, and magnetic nanomaterials) with excellent adsorption efficiency, selectivity, and reproducibility, as well as their applications, are presented. Due to the unique nanoscale physical–chemical properties, magnetic nanomaterials have been used for the extraction of target analytes by easy-to-handle magnetic separation under a magnetic field, which can avoid cumbersome centrifugation and filtration steps. This review also highlights the preparation process and reaction mechanism of nanomaterials used in the sample pretreatment methods, which have been applied for the extraction organophosphorus pesticides, fluoroquinolone antibiotics, phenoxy carboxylic acids, tetracycline antibiotics, hazardous metal ions, and rosmarinic acid. In addition, the remaining challenges and future directions for nanomaterials used as sorbents in the sample pretreatment are discussed.

Investigation of five metal organic frameworks as sorbent in syringe filters-SPE method for determination of metronidazole and cephalexin in water samples

In this study, we evaluated the preparation and utilization of NH2-MIL-101(Al) and NH2-MIL-101(Cr) as two efficient adsorbents for extraction of metronidazole and cephalexin in water samples using syringe filters-SPE method....