TY - JOUR A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha A1 - Pérez-Padilla, Victor A1 - Valderrey, Virginia A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Rurack, Knut T1 - Red-Emitting Polymerizable Guanidinium Dyes as Fluorescent Probes in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Glyphosate Detection N2 - The development of methodologies to sense glyphosate has gained momentum due to its toxicological and ecotoxicological effects. In this work, a red-emitting and polymerizable guanidinium benzoxadiazole probe was developed for the fluorescence detection of glyphosate. The interaction of the fluorescent probe and the tetrabutylammonium salt of glyphosate was studied via UV/vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy in chloroform and acetonitrile. The selective recognition of glyphosate was achieved by preparing molecularly imprinted polymers, able to discriminate against other common herbicides such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid (dicamba), as thin layers on submicron silica particles. The limits of detection of 4.8 µM and 0.6 µM were obtained for the sensing of glyphosate in chloroform and acetonitrile, respectively. The reported system shows promise for future application in the sensing of glyphosate through further optimization of the dye and the implementation of a biphasic assay with water/organic solvent mixtures for sensing in aqueous environmental samples. KW - Glyphosate KW - Guanidinium receptors KW - Fluorescent probes KW - Molecularly imprinted polymers KW - Core-shell particles PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-544441 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors10030099 SN - 2227-9040 VL - 10 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 20 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-54444 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beyer, S. A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha A1 - Zhang, Y. A1 - Verhassel, A. A1 - Sternbæk, L. A1 - Wang, T. A1 - Persson, J. L. A1 - Härkönen, P. A1 - Johansson, E. A1 - Caraballo, R. A1 - Elofsson, M. A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Rurack, Knut A1 - Ohlsson, L. A1 - El-Schich, Z. A1 - Gjörloff Wingren, A. A1 - Stollenwerk, M. M. T1 - Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Layers against Sialic Acid on Silica-coated Polystyrene Cores - Assessment of the Binding Behavior to Cancer Cells N2 - Sialic acid (SA) is a monosaccharide usually linked to the terminus of glycan chains on the cell surface. It plays a crucial role in many biological processes, and hypersialylation is a common feature in cancer. Lectins are widely used to analyze the cell surface expression of SA. However, these protein molecules are usually expensive and easily denatured, which calls for the development of alternative glycan-specific receptors and cell imaging technologies. In this study, SA-imprinted fluorescent core-shell molecularly imprinted polymer particles (SA-MIPs) were employed to recognize SA on the cell surface of cancer cell lines. The SA-MIPs improved suspensibility and scattering properties compared with previously used core-shell SA-MIPs. Although SA-imprinting was performed using SA without preference for the alpha-2,3- and alpha-2,6-SA forms, we screened the cancer cell lines analyzed using the lectins Maackia Amurensis Lectin I (MAL I, alpha-2,3-SA) and Sambucus Nigra Lectin (SNA, alpha-2,6-SA). Our results show that the selected cancer cell lines in this study presented a varied binding behavior with the SA-MIPs. The binding pattern of the lectins was also demonstrated. Moreover, two different pentavalent SA conjugates were used to inhibit the binding of the SA-MIPs to breast, skin, and lung cancer cell lines, demonstrating the specificity of the SA-MIPs in both flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy. We concluded that the synthesized SA-MIPs might be a powerful future tool in the diagnostic analysis of various cancer cells. KW - Cancer KW - Imprinting KW - Molecularly imprinted polymers KW - SA conjugates KW - Sialic acid PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-546625 DO - https://doi.org/110.3390/cancers14081875 SN - 2072-6694 VL - 14 IS - 8 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-54662 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sternbaek, L. A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Rurack, Knut A1 - Janicke, B. A1 - Alm, K. A1 - Gjörloff-Wingren, A. A1 - Eriksson, H. T1 - Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Exhibit Low Cytotoxic and Inflammatory Properties in Macrophages In Vitro N2 - Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) against sialic acid (SA) have been developed as a detection tool to target cancer cells. Before proceeding to in vivo studies, a better knowledge of the overall effects of MIPs on the innate immune system is needed. The aim of this study thus was to exemplarily assess whether SA-MIPs lead to inflammatory and/or cytotoxic responses when administered to phagocytosing cells in the innate immune system. The response of monocytic/macrophage cell lines to two different reference particles, Alhydrogel and PLGA, was compared to their response to SA-MIPs. In vitro culture showed a cellular association of SA-MIPs and Alhydrogel, as analyzed by flow cytometry. The reference particle Alhydrogel induced secretion of IL-1b from the monocytic cell line THP-1, whereas almost no secretion was provoked for SA-MIPs. A reduced number of both THP-1 and RAW 264.7 cells were observed after incubation with SA-MIPs and this was not caused by cytotoxicity. Digital holographic cytometry showed that SA-MIP treatment affected cell division, with much fewer cells dividing. Thus, the reduced number of cells after SA-MIP treatment was not linked to SA-MIPs cytotoxicity. In conclusion, SA-MIPs have a low degree of inflammatory properties, are not cytotoxic, and can be applicable for future in vivo studies. KW - Molecularly imprinted polymers KW - Digital holographic cytometry KW - Cytotoxicity KW - Proinflammatory cytokines PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-552250 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126091 SN - 2076-3417 VL - 12 IS - 12 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-55225 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha A1 - Beyer, S. A1 - El-Schich, Z. A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Rurack, Knut A1 - Gjörloff-Wingren, A. T1 - Imprinted Particles for Direct Fluorescence Detection of Sialic Acid in Polar Media and on Cancer Cells with Enhanced Control of Nonspecific Binding N2 - Glycoproteins are abundant on the cell surface of mammals, providing structural support, modulating cell Membrane properties, and acting as signaling agents. Variation of glycosylation patterns has been found to indicate various disease states, including cell malignancy. Sialic acid (SA) is present as a terminating group on cell-surface glycans, and its overexpression has been linked to several types of cancer. Detection of SA on the cell surface is therefore critical for detection of cancer in its early stages. In this work, a fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer layer targeting SA was synthesized on the surface of silica-coated polystyrene (PS) particles. Compared to previous works, a PS core supplies a lighter, lower-density support for improved suspension stability and scattering properties. Moreover, their smaller size provides a higher surface-area-to-volume ratio for binding. The incorporation of a fluorescent monomer in the MIP shell allowed for simple and rapid determination of binding specificity in polar media due to a deprotonation−reprotonation interaction mechanism between the fluorescent monomer and SA, which led to spectral changes. Upon titration of the MIP particles with SA in suspension, an increase in fluorescence emission of the particles was observed, with the MIP particles binding SA more selectively compared to the nonimprinted polymer (NIP) control particles. In cell staining experiments performed by flow cytometry, the binding behavior of the MIP particles compared favorably with that of SA-binding lectins. NIPs prepared with a “dummy” template served as a better negative control in cell binding assays due to the favorable inward orientation of template-binding functional groups in the polymer shell, which reduced nonspecific binding. The results show that fluorescent MIPs targeting SA are a promising tool for in vitro fluorescence staining of cancerous cells and for future diagnosis of cancer at early stages. KW - Flow cytometry KW - Sialic acid KW - Fluorescence KW - Molecularly imprinted polymers KW - Cancer cells PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525216 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.0c01353 VL - 3 IS - 5 SP - 2363 EP - 2373 PB - American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-52521 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha T1 - Fluorescent core/shell molecularly-imprinted nanoparticles for staining sialic acid (SA) residues on tumor cells N2 - Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and its early detection and resultant treatment contributes significantly to patient recovery and survival. Detection is currently based on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, methods that are expensive, while processing of the results is time consuming. There is a need for low-cost cancer-detection techniques that give conclusive results in the shortest time possible. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) targeting tumor markers on cancerous cells may provide a cheaper solution for cancer detection. Thin MIP layers immobilized on particle platforms are known to give faster response times and increased selectivity in comparison to bulk MIPs. It has been reported that a fluorescent monomer can be incorporated into the MIP layer, allowing for faster detection of the target group, thus significantly shortening the turn-around time for biopsies. Changes in sialylation patterns of cell surface glycoproteins indicate malignancy. Here, we present the development of MIPs that target sialic acid-terminated glycoproteins (SA MIPs), prepared as a thin layer on a silica nanoparticle platform. A fluorescent monomer is incorporated into the MIP layer, and upon binding of the target group to the specific binding pockets in the MIP, the fluorescence signal is enhanced. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used for structural characterization. To validate the specificity, fluorescence changes of MIPs in the presence and absence of template are compared to their corresponding non-imprinted polymer particles (NIP). Initial binding experiments with tumor cells using fluorescence microscopy demonstrate that the presented technique shows promise as a cheaper alternative to current detection methods, while allowing for relatively shorter analysis of biopsy results. T2 - MIP 2018 CY - Hebrew University Jerusalem, Belgium House, Israel DA - 24.07.2018 KW - Sialic acid KW - MIPs KW - Fluorescence PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45419 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Verhassel, Alejandra A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha A1 - Gidwani, Kamlesh A1 - Sandholm, Jouko A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Rurack, Knut A1 - Härkönen, Pirkko T1 - Detection of Tn-antigen in breast and prostate cancer models by VVL-labeled red dye-doped nanoparticles N2 - Aim: Fluorescence detection of breast and prostate cancer cells expressing Tn-antigen, a tumor marker, with Vicia villosa lectin (VVL)-labeled nanoparticles. Materials & methods: Breast and prostate cancer cells engineered to express high levels of Tn-antigen and non-engineered controls were incubated with VVL-labeled or unlabeled red dye-doped silica-coated polystyrene nanoparticles. The binding to cells was studied with flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and electron microscopy. Results: Flow cytometry showed that the binding of VVL-labeled nanoparticles was significantly higher to Tn-antigen-expressing cancer cells than controls. Confocal microscopy demonstrated that particles bound to the cell surface. According to the correlative light and electron microscopy the particles bound mostly as aggregates. Conclusion: VVL-labeled nanoparticles could provide a new tool for the detection of Tn-antigen-expressing breast and prostate cancer cells. KW - Breast cancer cells KW - Fluorescence detection KW - Lectin labeling KW - Prostate cancer cells KW - Silica-coated polystyrene nanoparticles KW - Tn-antigen KW - VVL PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-613451 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/17435889.2024.2405454 SN - 1743-5889 VL - 19 SP - 2463 EP - 2478 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - London AN - OPUS4-61345 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha A1 - Kislenko, Evgeniia A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Rurack, Knut T1 - Author correction: Fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer particles for glyphosate detection using phase transfer agents N2 - This is a corrigendum to the original article "Fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer particles for glyphosate detection using phase transfer agents" that was published in the journal "Scientific reports", vol. 12 (2022), article no. 14151. PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-642416 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28025-0 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 13 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 2 PB - Macmillan Publishers Limited CY - London AN - OPUS4-64241 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha T1 - Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorescent MIP Particles for Labelling of Malignant Cells N2 - Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and its early detection and resultant treatment contributes significantly to patient recovery and survival. Detection is currently based on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, methods that are expensive, while processing of the results is time-consuming1. There is a need for low-cost cancer detection techniques that give conclusive results in the shortest time possible. When equipped with a reporter function, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) targeting tumor markers on cancerous cells may provide a cheaper solution for imaging-based cancer detection. Thin MIP layers immobilized on particle platforms are ideal in this regard, because a fluorescence reporter can be integrated into the particle core and/or MIP shell and such core/shell nanoparticles show faster response times and increased selectivity in comparison to bulk MIPs. Changes in sialylation patterns of cell surface glycans indicate malignancy2. Here, we present the design, synthesis and characterization of MIPs that target sialic acid-terminated glycans (SA MIPs), prepared as a thin layer on a polystyrene core/silica shell nanoparticle platform. The MIP particles contain fluorescent emitters and can be applied in fluorescence imaging of malignant tumors. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used for structural characterization. Binding capacity of the MIPs to target glycans and competing sugars is also evaluated and compared to that of the corresponding non-imprinted polymer particles (NIP). T2 - Mini MIP Conference CY - Online meeting DA - 16.06.2020 KW - Cancer KW - MIPs KW - Sialic acid PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-50901 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Sternbaek, L. A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Janicke, B. A1 - Alm, K. A1 - Gjörloff-Wingren, A. T1 - Digital Holographic Cytometry: Macrophage Uptake of Nanoprobes N2 - Digital holographic cytometry (DHC) is a state-of-the-art quantitative Phase imaging (QPI) method that permits time-lapse imaging of cells without induced cellular toxicity. DHC platforms equipped with semi-automated image segmentation and analysis software packages for assessing cell behavior are commercially available. In this study we investigate the possible uptake of nanoprobes in macrophages in vitro over time. KW - Macrophages KW - MIPs KW - Holographic microscopy KW - Sialic acid PY - 2019 VL - 21 SP - 21 EP - 23 PB - Wiley CY - Imaging and Microscopy AN - OPUS4-47793 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha T1 - Dual-fluorescent sialic acid-imprinted polymer nanoparticles for staining of glycans on cancerous cells N2 - Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and its early detection and resultant treatment contributes significantly to patient recovery and survival. Detection is currently based on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, methods that are expensive, while processing of the results is time-consuming1. There is a need for low-cost cancer detection techniques that give conclusive results in the shortest time possible. When equipped with a reporter function, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) targeting tumor markers on cancerous cells may provide a cheaper solution for imaging-based cancer detection. Thin MIP layers immobilized on particle platforms are ideal in this regard, because a fluorescence reporter can be integrated into the particle core and/or MIP shell and such core/shell nanoparticles show faster response times and increased selectivity in comparison to bulk MIPs. Changes in sialylation patterns of cell surface glycans indicate malignancy2. Here, we present the development of MIPs that target sialic acid-terminated glycans (SA MIPs), prepared as a thin layer on a polystyrene core/silica shell nanoparticle platform. The MIP particles contain fluorescent emitters and can be applied in fluorescence imaging of malignant tumors. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used for structural characterization. Binding capacity of the MIPs to target glycans and competing sugars is also evaluated and compared to that of the corresponding non-imprinted polymer particles (NIP). T2 - Graduate Student Symposium on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 29.08.2019 KW - Cancer KW - Sialic acid KW - MIPs PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-48826 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -