Electrochemical Synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for L-Tyrosine Detection.

L-Tyrosine (L-Tyr), a critical amino acid whose aberrant levels impact melanin and dopamine levels in human body while also increasing insulin resistance thereby increasing the risk of type 2. The objective of this study was to detect the amount of L-Tyr in human fluids by tailored electrochemical synthesis of well adhered, homogenous and thin molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) by the electro-polymerization of pyrrole on glassy carbon electrode modified functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The key benefits of this procedure over previous imprinting techniques were the elimination of expensive materials like Au and tedious multi-step synthesis, for L-Tyr detection using a handheld potentiostat. The developed particles were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope, Chronoamperometry, and Cyclic Voltammetry. With strong reproducibility and stability, this optimized approach provides a rapid and effective method of preparing and sensing MIPs for the target analyte with a broad linear range of 1 μM to 2000 μM. The Limit of Detection and Limit of Quantification were 0.4 μM and 1.47 μM, respectively. The engineered sensor was validated for quantifying the concentrations of L-Tyr in human blood and serum samples, yielding satisfactory recovery and can be expanded in future to detect analytes simultaneous.