Development of a molecular recognition based approach for multi-residue extraction of estrogenic endocrine disruptors from biological fluids coupled to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry measurement

Multi-residue methods permitting the high-throughput and affordable simultaneous determination of an extended range of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with reduced time and cost of analysis is of prime interest in order to characterize a whole set of bioactive compounds. Such a method based on UHPLC-MS/MS measurement and dedicated to 13 estrogenic EDCs was developed and applied to biological matrices. Two molecular recognition-based strategies, either molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) with phenolic template or estrogen receptors (ERα) immobilized on a sorbent, were assessed in terms of recovery and purification efficiency. Both approaches demonstrated their suitability to measure ultra-trace levels of estrogenic EDCs in aqueous samples. Applicability of the MIP procedure to urine and serum samples has also been demonstrated.