Synthesis of monodispersed molecularly imprinted polymer particles for high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of cholesterol using templating polymerization in porous silica gel bound with cholesterol molecules on its surface

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A 2010-11, Vol.1217 (46), p.7249-7254
• Main Authors: Kitahara, Kei-Ichi, Yoshihama, Isao, Hanada, Takako, Kokuba, Hiroko, Arai, Sadao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; aqueous solutions; Chemistry; Cholesterol; cholesteryl esters; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; Chromatography; Divinylbenzene; Esters; Exact sciences and technology; fatty acid methyl esters; HPLC; Imprinted polymers; Liquids; molecular imprinting; Monodispersed molecularly imprinted polymer particles; Other chromatographic methods; particle size; polymerization; polymers; Silica gel; sodium hydroxide; styrene; Styrenes; Template porous silica gel
• ISSN: 0021-9673
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2010.09.041

Monodispersed molecularly imprinted polymer particles selective for cholesterol were prepared by the copolymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene in the presence of template silica gel particles (particle size: 5 μm; pore size: 10 nm) functionalized with cholesterol on the surface, followed by dissolution of the cholesterol-bonded silica gel with a NaOH aqueous solution. Transmission and scanning electron micrographs of the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) particles revealed good monodispersity and porous structure. The MIP particles were packed into a high performance liquid chromatographic column, and its recognition ability of cholesterol was evaluated using cholesterol, cholesterol esters and fatty acid methyl esters by comparison with the non-imprinted polymer (NIP) particles prepared from styrene and divinylbenzene without cholesterol. The MIP particles showed a high affinity for cholesterol and cholesterol esters ( K ′ MIP / K ′ NIP > 5.7 ).