Molecularly imprinted polymer film grafted from porous silica for efficient enrichment of steroid hormones in water samples

• Published in: Journal of separation science 2019-09, Vol.42 (17), p.2858-2866
• Main Authors: Czarny, Karolina, Szczukocki, Dominik, Krawczyk, Barbara, Juszczak, Renata, Skrzypek, Sławomira, Gadzała‐Kopciuch, Renata
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Disruption; endocrine disrupting compounds; Enrichment; Gonadal Steroid Hormones - analysis; High performance liquid chromatography; Hormones; Imprinted polymers; Low concentrations; matrix effect; Molecular Imprinting; molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction; Particle Size; Polymer films; Polymers - chemistry; Porosity; Qualitative analysis; Sex hormones; Silica gel; Silicon dioxide; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; Solid Phase Extraction; Sorbents; Steroids; Surface Properties; Testosterone; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
• ISSN: 1615-9306; 1615-9314
• DOI: 10.1002/jssc.201900281

Steroid hormones as endocrine disrupting compounds can interfere with the functioning of hormonal systems of organisms and thus affect the health and reproduction of humans and wildlife. Unfortunately, these types of harmful endocrine disrupting compounds have been found in a variety of environmental samples at very low concentrations. Therefore, a simple, fast, and efficient method for enrichment of water samples is needed. A molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction combined with high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection was developed for the determination of six steroid hormones, such as estrone, 17‐β‐estradiol, estriol, 17‐α‐ethinylestradiol, progesterone, and testosterone in water samples. The recoveries obtained in the proposed method were in the range of 78.7–101.3%. Matrix effect below 20% suggests that the quantitative and qualitative results of the analysis were not significantly affected by the matrix. The results show that molecularly imprinted polymers based on spherical silica gel had the potential to be a highly innovative and selective sorbent. The proposed method was proved to be applicable for molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction in selective and reliable extraction and enrichment of steroid hormones in environmental water samples.