Peptide-imprinted polymer microspheres prepared by precipitation polymerization using a single bi-functional monomer.

A single bi-functional monomer, N,O-bismethacryloyl ethanolamine (NOBE), was used in precipitation polymerization system to synthesize molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microspheres. Highly specific binding sites were obtained for N-terminal protected neuropeptides, Boc-Leu-enkephalin and Pyr-Leu-enkephalin. The use of NOBE allowed binding sites to be formed in polymer microspheres that are able to recognize target peptides through the consensus C-terminal sequence. The interesting molecular binding results suggest a new approach for peptide analysis combining in situ chemical modification with MIP recognition under non-aqueous conditions.