Flow injection analysis system with electrochemical detection for the simultaneous determination of nanomolar levels of acetaminophen and codeine

Abstract

A simple, rapid and low-cost electroanalytical method is proposed for the determination of acetaminophen (ACP) and codeine (COD) at nanomolar levels in pharmaceutical and biological samples. The analytical procedure is based on a flow injection analysis system coupled to electrochemical detection, which was multiple pulse amperometry (FIA-MPA). Boron-doped diamond was used as the working electrode for electrochemical detection. The electrode was subjected to a cathodic pretreatment and was selected in this work due its good electrochemical performance. By applying the FIA-MPA method, after a number of optimization assays, the analgesics were simultaneously determined at excellent linear concentration ranges. The analytical curves ranged from 80 nmol L−1 to 100 µmol L−1 for ACP and from 50 nmol L−1 to 10 µmol L−1 for COD, and the obtained limits of detection were 30 nmol L−1 and 35 nmol L−1 for ACP and COD, respectively. The practical applicability of the electroanalytical method was evaluated from the ACP and COD determination in two sample matrices: commercial pharmaceutical samples and biological fluids. In the case of pharmaceutical formulation samples, the obtained results were statistically similar to those obtained using a reference chromatographic method. In addition, these drugs were simultaneously quantified in biological fluid samples of urine and human serum with excellent recovery percentages. Keywords: Paracetamol, Codeine, Flow injection analysis, Boron-doped diamond, Multiple pulse amperometry