In this work, a superparamagnetic Fe3O4-graphene oxide (MGO) nanocomposite was prepared by one-step chemical co-precipitation method, and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Raman spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption curve. The as-prepared MGO was used to adsorb nuciferine, and the adsorption kinetic, isotherm and reusability of MGO were also investigated. The results showed that the adsorption of nuciferine on MGO reached its equilibrium very quickly (within 10 min) due to the two-dimensional carbon nanostructure of GO. In comparison with MGO, five conventional sorbents, i.e., macroporous resin D-101, silica gel, reverse phase silica gel (RP-C18) and cation exchange resin and polyamide, were also used to evaluate their adsorption capabilities. Therefore, MGO combined the advantages of both superparamagnetic particle and GO, i.e., easy separation and high absorption capacity. Finally, MGO was successfully applied to enrichment and separation of nuciferine in the extract of Nelumbinis Folium (Lotus leaf). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.