One-pot synthesis of antimony oxide and bismuth oxide nanocomposites for the selective electrochemical determination of the anticancer drug methotrexate in biomedical samples

Methotrexate (MTRX) is an anticancer drug that is also used for several chronic illnesses; however, a high dosage of MTRX can cause adverse effects, so it is necessary to monitor the MTRX level in blood and urine samples. This work reports the electrochemical determination of MTRX based on Sb2O3 and Bi2O3 composite material (Sb2O3@Bi2O3)modified electrodes. The one-pot sonohydrolysis synthesis method is employed for the preparation of the Sb2O3@Bi2O3 composite, which reveals high crystallinity with mixed phases of monoclinic Bi2O3 and cubic Sb2O3. Furthermore, the phases are identified by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and HRTEM analysis. This composite reveals nanoneedle and nanocube morphologies. The Sb2O3@Bi2O3 modified GCE shows excellent electrochemical activity for the detection of the anticancer drug methotrexate (MTRX). The activity is compared with the individual Sb2O3 and Bi2O3 compounds. Sb2O3@Bi2O3/GCE shows good electmanalytical characteristics in chmnoamperometric analysis. Sb2O3@Bi2O3/GCE exhibits a linear range of approximately 0.01 mu M to 174.6 mu M, a sensitivity of 1.46 mu A cm(-2) mu M--1,M- and an LOD of 2.9 nM. Moreover, Sb2O3@Bi(2)O(3)GCE delivered high selectivity among highly interfering compounds in blood and urine samples.

Automated summary

The novel material Sb2O3@Bi2O3 shows excellent characteristics for electrochemical detection of anticancer drugs, providing a reliable monitoring tool that is expected to play a positive role in clinical applications.