Homovanillic acid (HVA) is a major dopamine metabolite, and blood HVA is considered as central nervous system (CNS) dopamine biomarker, which reflects the progression of dopamine-associated CNS diseases and the behavioral response to therapeutic drugs. However, facing blood various active substances interference, particularly structurally similar catecholamines and their metabolites, real-time and accurate monitoring of blood HVA remains a challenge. Herein, a highly selective implantable electrochemical fiber sensor based on a molecularly imprinted polymer is reported to accurately monitor HVA in vivo. The sensor exhibits high selectivity, with a response intensity to HVA 12.6 times greater than that of catecholamines and their metabolites, achieving 97.8% accuracy in vivo. The sensor injected into the rat caudal vein tracked the real-time changes of blood HVA, which paralleled the brain dopamine fluctuations and indicated the behavioral response to dopamine increase. This study provides a universal design strategy for improving the selectivity of implantable electrochemical sensors.
Keywords: high selectivity; homovanillic acid; implantable fiber sensor; molecularly imprinted polymer; real-time monitoring.