Granular Hybrid Organo-Inorganic Sorbents Molecularly Imprinted with Cholesterol

Novel granular organic-inorganic molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) based on 2-hydroxyethyl ethacrylate (HEMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) were prepared by copolymerization on the surface of selenium (Se) nanoparticles stabilized with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) at different concentrations of cholesterol as a template molecule. The synthesis occurred in Pickering microemulsion. The obtained compounds are intended for use as selective hemosorbents in efferent therapy of hypercholesterolemia. The sorbents were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and sorption experiments. It was revealed that MIPs possess a more pronounced porous structure as compared to that of the reference non-imprinted polymer (NIP). The influence of the amount of introduced cholesterol template on physico-chemical and sorption properties of MIPs was investigated. Formation of the surface sorption layer in the MIPs facilitates the availability of imprint sites and enhances the efficiency of specific cholesterol binding from blood plasma in vitro.