Developed electrochemical sensors for the determination of beta-blockers: A comprehensive review

Abstract

Beta-blockers (β-blockers) are a special type of medicine that are prescribed for a wide range of health problems including cardiovascular diseases. There is a narrow border between the therapeutic and toxic levels of β-blockers and at high dosages. β-blockers can cause serious side effects. Besides, β-blockers are used as a doping agent at some sports and their usages is banned by world anti-doping agency (WADA). Therefore, developing a simple, precise and sensitive methodology to determine β-blockers is greatly important. Among the different reported analytical approaches for β-blockers quantification, electroanalytical techniques offer high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, straightforward instrumentation, low price and short analysis time. The applicability in opaque and colored samples, high selectivity and the capability at determining several components simultaneously are other upsides of electrochemical sensors. In this regard, this review copes with critically comparing electrochemical sensors as well as measurement protocols for electroanalytical measurement of β-blockers. It is also highly concentrated on the employed working electrodes and their modification that are vital for effective determination. Moreover, important conclusions are made from the surveyed studies and some propositions are presented for future works.