Title:Applications of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Isolation of Estrogens from Environmental Water Samples
VOLUME: 12 ISSUE: 4
Author(s):Renata Gadzala-Kopciuch, Radoslaw Sadowski, Anna Piwonska and Bogusaw Buszewski
Affiliation:Department of Environmental Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Chemistry Nicolaus Copernicus University, 7 Gagarin St, Pl-87 100 Toru, Poland.
Keywords:Aqueous samples, estrogens, MISPE, molecularly imprinted polymers.
Abstract:Environmental pollutants that disrupt endocrine functions, such as natural and synthetic estrogens,
can significantly compromise the ecological and biological balance of ecosystems, in particular
aqueous habitats. Long-term exposure to endocrine disruptors has adverse effects on water organisms
and, consequently, humans. In nature, estrogens occur at very low concentrations, and their presence in
environmental samples is very difficult to confirm. Selective and repeatable methods for preparing
aqueous samples and reliable separation and identification techniques are required to accomplish the
above task. Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) polymers are popularly used for the
preparation of water samples. This article overviews the existing knowledge about sample preparation methods, with special
emphasis on the progress made in the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers as effective sorbents for isolating
estrogens from environmental and biological samples. The latest technological solutions, including molecularly imprinted
polymer nanoparticles, are discussed as potential methods for isolating selected analytes. The challenges and prospects associated
with new selective sorbents are also discussed.
