Voltammetric determination of paracetamol and ciprofloxacin in the presence of vitamin C using cuttlefish bone-derived hydroxyapatite sub-microparticles as electrode material

Abstract

Paracetamol, ciprofloxacin, and ascorbic acid are frequently used as medical supplements for pain relief, antibiotics, and immunity boosters either independently or in combination. However excessive or indiscriminate use of these drugs can lead to severe liver or kidney dysfunction and hence it is important to determine the amount of these molecules in pharmaceutical products and biological fluids. In this study, we report the fabrication of a highly efficient electrochemical sensor to detect paracetamol and ciprofloxacin in the presence of ascorbic acid using hydroxyapatite (HAP) sub-microparticles(sub-MPs) as electrode material. Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) sub-MPs have been synthesized by microwave irradiation method using cuttlefish bone-derived calcium source and synthetic diammonium phosphate. Morphological and microstructural properties of HAP have been investigated by XRD, FTIR, HRTEM, and XPS methods. C-HAP sub-MPs modified glassy carbon electrodes exhibited strong electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of PA and CP. Under optimized conditions, the electrochemical oxidation peak currents were linearly proportional to PA and CP over wide concentration ranges of 0.01–1310 µM, and the lowest detection limits were estimated at 139.7 nM and 91.8 nM (S/N = 3). The fabricated sensor exhibits precise electrochemical responses with high sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility toward the detection oxidation of PA and CP.