SELECTIVE RECOGNITION OF CYCLIC GMP USING A FLUORESCENCE-BASED MOLECULARLY IMPRINTED POLYMER

ABSTRACT

Guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) plays a role as a second messenger in many different biological systems. Given the ubiquitous nature of cGMP, a simple method of detecting cGMP is of interest. To that end a fluorescent polymer with recognition sites for cGMP has been prepared. Its selectivity and sensitivity were investigated and a dose-dependant decrease in fluorescence of the polymer in the presence of cGMP was observed. In contrast, virtually no effect was detected upon application of the structurally similar molecules, guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP) and adenosine 3′,5′- cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), thus demonstrating the high selectivity of this polymer. The association constant for the binding of cGMP to the imprinted polymer was determined in order of 3 × 10⁵ M⁻¹. A fluorescent, molecularly imprinted polymer that selectively recognises cGMP may have a useful application as a fluorescent chemosensor for cGMP detection in biological samples.

Keywords:

• Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)
• Fluorescent monomer
• Molecular recognition
• cGMP
• cAMP

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The authors wish to thank Dr. H. O. Alpar (present address School of Pharmacy, London University) for use of the Wallac Victor² 1420 multilabel counter.