Abstract
The benzodiazepine class of drugs are characterised by a readily electrochemically reducible azomethine group. A number are also substituted by other electrochemically active nitro, N-oxide, and carbonyl groups, making them readily accessible to electrochemical determination. Techniques such as polarography, voltammetry, and potentiometry have been employed for pharmaceutical and biomedical samples, requiring little sample preparation. This review describes current developments in the design and applications of electrochemical-based approaches for the determination of the benzodiazepine class of drugs form their introduction in the early 1960s to 2019. Throughout this period, state-of-the-art electroanalytical techniques have been reported for their determination. Polarography was first employed focused on mechanistic investigations. Subsequent studies showed the adsorption of many the benzodiazepines at Hg electrodes allowed for the highly sensitive technique of adsorptive stripping voltammetry to be employed. The development and introduction of other working electrode materials such as carbon led to techniques such as voltammetry to become commonly reported, and the modification of these electrodes has now become the most commonly employed approach using molecularly imprinting and nanotechnology.
Highlights
Since the introduction of chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride (Librium® ) in 1960 [1], a large number of structurally similar 1,4- and 1,5-benzodiazepine compounds have been developed and have been utilised widely as tranquillisers, hypnotics, sedatives, and antidepressants [2], and are presently one of the most commonly prescribed class of drugs
Subsequent studies showed the adsorption of many the benzodiazepines at Hg electrodes allowed for the highly sensitive technique of adsorptive stripping voltammetry to be employed
Nunes et al [16] have utilised differential pulse cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry to determine the occurrence of alprazolam in Brazilian river water to evaluate its potential use as a marker of contamination by wastewater
Summary
Since the introduction of chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride (Librium® ) in 1960 [1], a large number of structurally similar 1,4- and 1,5-benzodiazepine compounds have been developed and have been utilised widely as tranquillisers, hypnotics, sedatives, and antidepressants [2], and are presently one of the most commonly prescribed class of drugs. Reviews [7,8] have highlighted issues with their use with groups, the elderly, with increased reports of falls, incidence of hip fractures, and risk of cerebrovascular events and deaths Due to their wide pharmaceutical usage and subsequent disposal, concern has focused on other areas affecting the wider population. To our knowledge, the application of electrochemical-based techniques for their determination has not been recently reviewed
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have