Molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors for the detection of antihistamine drugs: Analytical performance and forensic applications.

Antihistamine drugs are mainly utilized in the treatment of allergic disorders, but they are also commonly found in a forensic case involving impaired driving, drug-facilitated crimes, and drug overdose. Traditional analytical methods, including GC–MS and LC-MS, can effectively detect these compounds. These methods are, however, expensive to buy, their sample preparation can be tedious, and specific laboratory equipment may be required. As a result, interest has grown in innovative strategies capable of rapid and selective detection. MIP-based sensors have gained increasing attention as effective analytical tools because of their high selectivity, stability, and ability to mimic biological recognition sites. This review discusses antihistamine drugs in a forensic context and explains the fundamental principles of molecular imprinting for selective drug recognition. It also describes the main components used in the formulation of MIP-based sensors and summarizes recent sensing strategies for antihistamine detection. The potential application of these sensors in forensic and biological matrices is highlighted. Finally, the future perspectives, including computationally informed MIP design, nanostructured materials, and portable sensing devices, are described as a fast, selective antihistamine detector to be used in the pharmaceutical and forensic contexts.