Bilirubin adsorption property of mesoporous silica and amine-grafted mesoporous silica

Nephritic, hepatic and immune failures would lead to the overload of endogenous toxic molecules (e.g. bilirubin, cholic acid, uric acid, creatinine etc.) in human bodies. It is fatal in most cases and extracorporeal blood purification (ECBP) is powerful first-aid therapy. Adsorbents are key parts of ECBP apparatus. Mesoporous silicas should be promising candidates for these medical adsorbents, but there is no report about this. Herein, pure and amine-grafted mesoporous silicas have been applied to adsorb bilirubin, cholic acid, uric acid, creatinine and phenobarbital for the first time. These mesoporous materials show high adsorption capacities for bilirubin and uric acid in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Effects of pore sizes, amine-modification, temperature and ionic strength on their bilirubin adsorption capacities have been studied in detail.