Fabrication and Optimization of Molecularly Imprinted Nanofibers in Assessment of Occupational Exposure to 5-fluorouracil

Background and purpose: Cytotoxic drugs are a group of chemicals that raise concerns over the health of healthcare professionals. Therefore, accurate methods are needed to investigate the traces of these drugs. This study was done to fabricate and optimize molecularly imprinted membrane as a specific absorbent in assessment of occupational exposure to 5-fluorouracil. Materials and methods: 5-FU molecularly imprinted microspheres were produced by precipitation polymerization and encapsulated into nanofibers using electrospinning. Optimization of electrospinning parameters (MIP value, electrospinning voltage, the distance between needle tip to collector, and flow rate) was performed using response surface methodology (RSM) and Experimental design software. Totally, 22 trials were done on the basis of study design.  The diameter of the fiber was measured using SEM image analysis. The applicability of the synthesized membranes in absorbing 5-FU was evaluated. Results: In this study, MIP particles were successfully encapsulated into PET nanofibers. The optimization process showed that the molecularly imprinted nanofibers diameter of 276.38 nm could be obtained in 57%W MIP, 25 kV, 13 cm, and 0.55 ml/h. The efficacy of extracting 5-FU by synthesized membranes was 97.2±0.34. Conclusion: The experimental models presented in this study can be used in further experiments to create a uniform molecularly imprinted nanofibers for specific analyte absorption in occupational and environmental monitoring.