Electrochemical determination of rosuvastatin calcium in pharmaceutical and human body fluid samples using a composite of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide as the electrode material

A novel electrochemical method for the determination of rosuvastatin calcium (RC) using a composite of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide (VACNT-GO) as the electrode material is proposed. The VACNT-GO electrode was synthesized using a microwave-assisted chemical vapor deposition method followed by oxygen plasma treatment. The VACNT-GO electrode presented super-hydrophilic behavior and fast charge transfer, which are very attractive for electrochemical applications. The RC molecule presented an oxidation process at +1.26 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3.0 mol L-1 KCl) in phosphate buffer solution (pH 2), and this redox behavior was explored for its voltammetric determination. Using square-wave adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry (SWAdASV) under optimized conditions, the analytical curve was linear in RC concentration range from 0.48 to 46.72 mu mol L-1 with a limit of detection of 0.06 mu mol L-1. The developed SWAdASV method was applied for RC quantification in commercial pharmaceutical samples, and the results are consistent with those obtained by the comparative spectrophotometric method at a confidence level of 95%. Moreover, RC was determined in human body fluid samples of urine and human serum. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)