Nucleobase-Modified Microgels Synthesized via Microfabrication Technology for DNA Adsorption

Abstract

DNA isolation is a crucial procedure since DNA-based assays have great importance in molecular biology, biochemistry and biomedical applications. The objective of this study is to fabricate micron-sized hydrogels as adsorbents for DNA. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) microgels were synthesized by free radical polymerization in the presence of N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker, in the microholes of a microstencil array chip. Then, adenine was immobilized to microgels through the epoxy groups of glycidyl methacrylate. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were employed to investigate the chemical and morphological characterizations of the microgels. The findings of the experiments demonstrate that the microgels had a cylindrical shape, were of uniform size, and had a height and diameter of around 500 μm. Observation of aromatic C=C peak confirmed the existence of adenine ligand in the microgel structure. Adsorption studies were carried out to determine the optimal conditions for DNA adsorption of nucleobase-immobilized microgels. After initially increasing, the quantity of DNA adsorbed onto the microgels reached a saturation level at a DNA concentration of around 2.0 mg/mL. The maximum adsorption was 38.54 mg/g microgels for an initial DNA concentration of 2.0 mg/mL in the optimum medium pH and temperature. DNA adsorption capabilities are shown to not significantly decline in recurrent adsorption-desorption cycles. As a result of the findings, adenine-immobilized microgels were demonstrated to be a viable option for DNA adsorption. Additionally, as a reference for future research, this study highlights the benefits of microfabrication technology, such as its simplicity of use in fabricating adsorption materials with the desired size, shape, and uniformity.