Fluorescent competitive assay for melamine using dummy molecularly imprinted polymers as antibody mimics

摘要

A lfuorescent competitive assay for melamine was ifrst developed utilizing dummy molecularly imprinted polymers (DMIPs) as artiifcial antibodies. This method is based on the competition between lfuorescent substances and the unlabeled analyte for binding sites in synthesized DMIPs and the decreased binding of lfuorescent substances to DMIPs due to increased concentrations of melamine in the solutions. DMIPs for melamine were synthesized under a hot water bath in the pres-ence of the initiator azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) using 2,4-diamino-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazine (DAMT) as a dummy template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a crosslinking agent. The adsorption capacity and selectivity of DMIPs for melamine were evaluated by the isothermal adsorption curve and Scatchard analysis. The evaluation results showed that the synthesized DMIPs had speciifc recognition sites for melamine and the maximum adsorption amount was 1066.33 μg g–1. Later, 5-(4,6-dichlorotriazinyl) amino lfuorescein (DTAF) with a triazine ring, which slightly resembles melamine, was selected as the lfuorescent substance. The lfuorescent competitive assay using DMIPs as the antibody mimics was ifnaly established by selecting and optimizing the reaction solvents, DMIPs amount, DTAF concentration, and incubation time. The optimal detection system showed a linear response within range of 0.05–40 mg L–1 and the limit of detection (LOD) was 1.23 μg L–1. It was successfuly applied to the detection of melamine in spiked milk samples with satisfactory recoveries (71.9 to 86.3%). According to the comparative analysis, the result of optimized lfuorescent competitive assay revealed excelent agreement with the HPLC-MS/MS result for melamine.