Extraction of quercetin from Herba Lysimachiae by molecularly imprinted-matrix solid phase dispersion

A new kind of quercetin molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized and applied as a selective sorbent in matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) for the extraction of quercetin in Herba Lysimachiae. The MIP was prepared by surface imprinting method using quercetin as template, methacrylic acid as functional monomer, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate as crosslinker and methanol as porogen. The selectivity of quercetin MIP was evaluated according to their recognition to quercetin and a compound with similar molecular size (bergenin). Good binding for quercetin was observed in MIP adsorption experiment. The isothermal adsorption and dynamic adsorption experiments were also carried out in this study. The best quercetin extraction conditions were as follows: the ratio of MIP to sample was 1:1, the dispersion time was 10 min, washing solvent was 2% aqueous methanol and elution solvent was acetic acid–methanol (2:98, v/v). The proposed method was compared with the method used in Chinese pharmacopeia. The similar extraction yield was obtained by the two methods. Moreover, this method is faster, simpler and can realize extraction and purification procedures in the same system.