Molecularly imprinted polymer solid‐phase microextraction coupled with ultra high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry for rapid analysis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbal medicine

Abstract

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are the most widely distributed natural toxins, and pyrrolizidine alkaloid‐containing herbal medicines are probably the most common poisonous plants affecting humans. We reported pyrrolizidine alkaloid‐molecularly imprinted polymer solid‐phase microextraction for the selective adsorption of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids from herbal medicine. A sulfonic compound, sodium allylsulfonate, was chosen as the functional monomer to interact with pyrrolizidine alkaloids through strong ionic interaction. To avoid template leakage and for the aim of cost saving, a relatively cheap dummy template was used for the fabrication of molecularly imprinted polymer‐solid‐phase microextraction fibers. The obtained fibers showed selective adsorption ability for four pyrrolizidine alkaloids, including europine, echimidine, lasiocarpine, and heliotrine. The extraction parameters, such as extraction time, extraction temperature, shaking speed, elution solvent and elution time, were optimized. Then ultra high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry coupled with molecularly imprinted polymer‐solid‐phase microextraction method was developed for the fast and efficient analysis of four pyrrolizidine alkaloids from the model herbal plant Farfarae Flos. The established method was validated and exhibited satisfactory accuracy and precision. The present method provides an innovative and fast analytical strategy for the determination of trace toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in complicated samples.

Immunoaffinity Extraction and Alternative Approaches for the Analysis of Toxins in Environmental, Food or Biological Matrices

“…This device, introduced during 30 min in the sample, allowed the extraction of OTA from coffee, grape juice and urine [143], a desorption time of 20 min (under sonication to facilitate the transfer of molecule) being reported. In order to miniaturize the extraction device, Luo et al proposed to cover a SPME silica fiber by a thin film of MIP (MIP fiber of 125 µm diameter) to extract plant toxins in 30 min, the desorption being achieved in 8 min [153]. In the field of the miniaturization of MIP for toxin analysis, one can mention a work related to the on-line coupling of a capillary containing an MIP (100 µm i.d., MIP film produced at the surface of a monolith) with an LC capillary column (300 µm × 25 cm) [160].…”

Application of selective polymeric sorbents for simple coumarins extraction from deodorant samples

“…MIP based sorbents are also useful in the analysis natural resources and extracts, e.g. herbal plant extracts, used in natural cosmetics, both for isolation and enrichment, active compounds such as alpha-lipoic acid (Xu et al, 2020) and toxins such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (Luo et al, 2019). Only a few papers have been published regarding the application of MIPs selective for coumarins.…”

A new molecularly imprinted polymer for selective extraction and pre‐concentration of guaifenesin in different samples: Adsorption studies and kinetic modeling

“…The recognition cavities generated in the polymeric structure are responsible for the selectivity of MIPs. They are complementary to the template in shape, size, and chemical functionality . High adsorption capacity, low cost, ease of preparation, and inertness toward organic solvents, acids, or bases are the main features of MIPs .…”