Development of a MIP-Based QCM Sensor for Selective Detection of Penicillins in Aqueous Media

Shahin Haghdoust,Usman Arshad,Adnan Mujahid,Leo Schranzhofer,Peter Alexander Lieberzeit

doi:10.3390/chemosensors9120362

Shahin Haghdoust, Usman Arshad + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors9120362

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Abstract

Pharmaceuticals wastes have been recognized as emerging pollutants to the environment. Among those, antibiotics in the aquatic environment are one of the major sources of concern, as chronic, low-dose exposure can lead to antibiotic resistance. Herein, we report on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) to recognize penicillin V potassium salt (PenV-K), penicillin G potassium salt (PenG-K), and amoxicillin sodium salt (Amo-Na), which belong to the most widespread group of antibiotics worldwide. Characterization and optimization led to two MIPs comprising methacrylic acid as the monomer and roughly 55% ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the crosslinker. The obtained layers led to sensitive, selective, repeatable, and reusable sensor responses on quartz crystal microbalances (QCM). The LoD for PenV-K, PenG-K, and Amo-Na sensors are 0.25 mM, 0.30 mM, and 0.28 mM, respectively; imprinting factors reach at least around three. Furthermore, the sensors displayed relative selectivity factors of up to 50% among the three penicillins, which is appreciable given their structural similarity.

Highlights

Antibiotics have revolutionized medicine during the last decades and changed the pattern of modern life [1,2]
molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) sensors is to conditions: Figcontained inlet and outlet tubes to expose the sensor to sample solutions
Due ure 4 summarizes the sensor effects of the six polymers mentioned in Table 1 when exposto its comparably low thermal conductance, it usually does not influence the temperature ing them to aqueous solutions containing 2.50 mM of penicillin V (PenV)-K and penicillin G (PenG)-K, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Antibiotics have revolutionized medicine during the last decades and changed the pattern of modern life [1,2]. Among all groups of antibiotics, penicillins belong to the most widely used ones, since they are highly effective against microbes and hardly toxic to mammals [3,4]. Penicillins are known as β-lactam antibiotics and capable to treat the most common bacterial infections in humans and animals [3,5]. Penicillin G (PenG) are classified as natural penicillins, which are highly active against gram-positive bacteria. They are produced directly from fermentation of Penicillium chrysogenum [6,7]. The desire to enhance the efficiency of penicillins against gram-negative pathogens led to the aminopenicillin group of drugs through adding an amino group as a side chain to the penicillin core structure. One can obtain it semi-synthetically from natural penicillin [8]

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