Synthesis of a magnetic micelle molecularly imprinted polymers to selective adsorption of rutin from Sophora japonica

Rutin is a naturally active compound with biological and medical value. The traditional extraction and separation method not only destroys the structure and activity of rutin, but results in a low extraction rate. In this work, the magnetic micellar molecularly imprinted polymer of rutin with a selective recognition function, i.e., RMMMIP was synthesized from 4 to Vinylphenylboron acid and 4-Vinylpyridine as functional monomer, derivatives of cholic acid as amphiphilic molecules. The internal hydrophobic and external hydrophilic characteristics of micelle was used to weaken the solvation of rutin and strengthen the non-covalent interaction between functional monomer and rutin. Fe3O4, as the core, endowed the composite materials with good magnetic responsiveness and was easy to separate solid from liquid. Then its structure and adsorption were studied, adsorbing capacity and recognition specific factor of RMMMIP are 11.9 mg·g−1 and 3.55 respectively. RMMMIP was used for the separation of rutin from crude extracts of Sophora japonica Linn and showed a better selective adsorption capacity than quercetin, naringin and cyanidin-3-O-glucose. It indicated that RMMMIP as a specific adsorbent had the potential to be a practical way to purify rutin from rutin crude extracts in the future.