Nano-sized Amitriptyline (AT) imprinted polymer particles: Synthesis and characterization in Silicon oil

Amitriptyline hydrochloride is a highly permeable active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). The function of these drugs is to block the reuptake of the neurotransmitters, norepinephrine and serotonin in the central nervous system. The nano-sized Amitriptyline (AT) imprinted polymer particles were synthesized successfully. The nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal gravimetric (TG) methods. AT-imprinted polymer was prepared using suspension polymerization in silicon oil with AT as template, Methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linker. As illustrated in SEM images, it is possible to obtain real nano-sized molecular imprinted polymer particles (around 80 nm) with approximately spherical shapes, through the methods and techniques presented and discussed in this study. Thermal analyzes indicated that, an abrupt weight loss for nano-sized MIP was observed at 310°C. This mass loss can be attributed to the loss of nano-sized MIP chain degradation.