Preparation of sterol-imprinted polymers with the use of 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphate

Steroid-selective polymers were prepared by the molecular imprinting technique, using 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphate as functional monomer. The retentivity and selectivity of the obtained imprinted polymers were evaluated by liquid chromatography. The cholesterol-imprinted polymer showed higher affinity for cholesterol than that for cholesterol derivatives. The selectivity of the imprinted polymer was superior to the imprinted polymer prepared with the conventional functional monomer, 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylic acid. Estradiol was also imprinted and gave similar results, demonstrating that 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphate would be suitable for imprinted polymers of cholesterol and related compounds.