Study of chromatographic properties of catecholamines and their acidic metabolites using novel molecularly imprinted polymers as stationary phases

Quantitative analysis of catecholamines and their acidic metabolites can provide vital information for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases such as adrenal tumors. However, complicated purification protocols are usually required to isolate the analytes. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have attracted considerable attention as a method of selectively separating desired compounds from their matrix. Therefore, we propose a synthetic procedure for new molecularly imprinted sorbents that possess selective binding sites for both catecholamines and their acidic metabolites. The new polymer utilizes non-covalent and semi-covalent imprinting methods. The binding properties of MIPs were evaluated using chromatographic experiments. The results suggest that the MIPs bind with catecholamines more selectively than with their acidic metabolites. Therefore, increasing sorption selectivity of the acids would make it possible to perform simultaneous extraction of both compound groups.