Cellulose-based molecularly imprinted core-shell microspheres with dual environment responsiveness for specific recognition and enrichment of paclitaxel

Paclitaxel (PTX), a natural diterpene alkaloid with potent anticancer activity, has been a focus of global research due to its complex structure, significant biological effects, unique mechanism of action, and limited natural availability. In this study, cellulose was used as the raw material to synthesize functionalized pH-responsive modified cellulose porous hydrogel microspheres (MCC/SA/MA-POSS-PTX) via inverse suspension polymerization, using sodium alginate (SA) as the pH-responsive material. Based on this using PTX as the template molecule, 4-VP as the functional monomer, N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) as the thermosensitive monomer, cellulose-based PTX molecularly imprinted hydrogel microspheres (CDLMIHM-PTX) with dual pH and temperature responsiveness were prepared. The adsorption mechanism of the novel material was elucidated through a series of characterization and adsorption experiments. The CDLMIHM-PTX exhibited exceptional adsorption capacity (35.12 mg·g^-1) and selectivity, as well as good reusability (6 of cycles). Specific enrichment of PTX from the crude extract of Taxus × media branches was achieved, increasing its content from 7.59 % to 55.98 %. This highlights the capability of CDLMIHM-PTX for targeted enrichment and separation of PTX from complex plant matrices, suggesting promising industrial applications. This work explores the construction of pH/temperature dual responsive cellulose-based molecularly imprinted hydrogel microspheres for the selective capture of target compounds, with potential for practical applications.