Synthesis and characterization of molecularly imprinted polymer particles (MIPs) for biomedical applications

• Autor(a) principal: Freitas, Ana Filipa Fernandes Lobo
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/12671
• topic: 5-Fluorouracil; Caffeine; Molecularly imprinted polymers; Molecular recognition

In this work the synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) was made us-ing different techniques of polymerization, such as, in solution (micro-reactor and batch reactor) and inverse suspension, aiming the study of the effect of synthesis conditions on the properties and performance of materials obtained. The mechanisms used in the reactions were: free radical polymerization (FRP) and chain transfer polymerization by reversible addition-fragmentation (RAFT). For the production of the MIPs were used as base monomers the acrylic acid (AA), methacrylic acid (MAA) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) and as target molecules the 5-fluorouracil (5FU, used in the treatment of cancer) and caffeine (CAF, stimulant of the central nervous system). The characterization of the MIPs was made by two quantitative methods, solid phase extraction (SPE) with subsequent analysis through ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, and frontal analysis using a gel permeation chromatography (GPC) system, in order to evalu-ate the adsorption (saturation) and desorption (release) of molecules considered. The obtained particles were also analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was concluded that the combination of different synthesis tools (molecular im-printing/controlled radical polymerization) can be used to produce polymer particles with applications in molecular recognition and controlled drug delivery.