Magnetic solid-phase extraction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from environmental water samples using polyamidoamine dendrimer functionalized with magnetite nanoparticles as a sorbent

A novel polyamidoamine dendrimer functionalized with Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4@PAMAM) had been fabricated and used as magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) adsorbent. The Fe3O4@PAMAM nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron spectroscopy, elemental analytical, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The MSPE method coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet detection system was applied for the separation/analysis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Major parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the selected drugs were optimized. Under optimal conditions, the enrichment factors for the proposed method were 701-835. The linear range, limit of detection, correlation coefficient (r), and relative standard deviation (RSD) were found to be 0.15-500 ng mL(-1), 0.05-0.08 ng mL(-1), 0.9932-0.9967, and 4.5-7.0% (n = 5, 0.2, 10 and 300 ng mL(-1)) respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of NSAIDs in the real water samples. The recoveries of spiked water samples were in the range of 93.6-98.9% with RSDs varying from 6.1% to 9.0%, showing the good accuracy of the method.