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Highlights Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for anti-cancer pro-drug tegafur were prepared. Stoichiometric imprinting and a custom-made functional monomer were utilised. High selectivity for tegafur vs. other analytes was demonstrated. Clean extracts and recoveries of up to 96% from aqueous samples were achieved.
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AbstractMolecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) targeting tegafur, an anti-cancer 5-fluorouracil pro-drug, have been prepared by stoichiometric imprinting using 2,6-bis(acrylamido)pyridine ( The synthesised imprinted polymer was employed in solid-phase extraction of the pro-drug using an optimised protocol that included a simple wash with the porogen used in the preparation of the material.Tegafur recoveries of up to 96% were achieved from aqueous samples and 92% from urine samples spiked with the template and three competing analytes. The results demonstrate the potential of the prepared polymers in the pre-concentration of tegafur from biological samples, which could be an invaluable tool in the monitoring of patient compliance and drug uptake and excretion.