Reduced graphene oxide-based sensor for triamcinolone acetonide detection: Advancements in doping agent surveillance for athletes

Abstract

The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports is a major concern for athletes, coaches, and sports organizations. To address this issue, researchers have been developing advanced doping agent surveillance techniques, including the use of sensors for detecting prohibited substances in athletes' samples. The aim of this work was to create Ag nanoparticles and a reduced graphene oxide paste electrode (Ag-rGOPE) that could be used as an electrochemical sensor to measure the amounts of triamcinolone acetonide (TAA) in athlete blood serum samples for the purpose of detecting doping. The combination of Ag nanoparticles on rGO nanosheets was validated by the findings of structural investigations. The potential of Ag-rGOPE as a promising substitute for the analysis of TAA in actual samples was underlined by the electrochemical investigations. Ag-rGOPE was reported to have a sensitivity value of 0.67522 μA/μM, a linear range of 10 to 300 μM, and a limit of detection of 0.005 μM. High electrochemical reactivity, a broad linear range, and a small limit of detection were all characteristics of the Ag-rGOPE toward TAA. With considerable recovery values (above 96.00 %) and acceptable precision (RSD less than 4.37 %), the sensor showed outstanding performance for detecting TAA in serum samples. Overall, Ag-rGOPE demonstrated potential as an electrochemical sensor for measuring TAA levels in athlete serum samples that is both dependable and accurate.