Dummy template molecularly imprinted polymers as potential sorbents in the separation and purification of active compounds in natural products

Abstract Molecular imprinting technology is a promising technique for separating, purifying, and enriching target compounds with high selectivity and sensitivity. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technique has developed rapidly in the separation and purification of chemical compounds and secondary metabolites of natural products. However, there are real challenges to the isolation of target compounds in natural products such as the unavailability of target compounds and high cost, so it is necessary to develop another approach to MIP synthesis. The dummy template is a solution to the unavailability of target compounds as it will produce a binding site that is specific enough for the target compound through covalent or non‐covalent bonds and the presence of the same functional groups between the target compound and the dummy will result in an interaction between the target compound and the binding site made using the dummy template. In addition, this dummy MIP (DMIP) is the best solution for overcoming the template leakage in traditional MIPs so that the DMIP technique is very good for removing and purifying compounds that are allergenic or toxic in natural product samples (high traceability). This review article will discuss the development of DMIPs in the separation and purification of compounds in natural products and the factors that affect their performance. Our discussion highlights the importance of selecting the right dummy template for optimal DMIP performance. This selection should be based on factors such as functional group similarity, being in the same bioactive compound group, and structural skeleton similarity. In addition, the selection and composition of other DMIP components can also affect the analytical performance of the DMIP.