Magnetic solid-phase extraction of imatinib and doxorubicin as cytostatic drugs by Fe3O4/graphene oxide nanocomposite

Magnetic solid-phase extraction based on Fe3O4/graphene oxide nanocomposites was investigated for the separation, preconcentration and determination of imatinib and doxorubicin in aqueous solutions. Synthesis of Fe3O4/graphene oxide was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer and vibrating sample magnetometer. After optimizing the conditions, optimal experimental conditions including sample pH, the amount of the magnetic nanoparticles, the effect of salt concentration and other chemotherapy medications, eluent type and extraction time were studied and established. The method showed good linearity for the determination of doxorubicin and imatinib in the concentration range of 0.01-100 mu g mL(-1) in aqueous solutions with limit of detection 1.8 ng mL(-1) for doxorubicin and 1.9 ng mL(-1) for imatinib. The relative recoveries of doxorubicin and imatinib levels were 96.7 and 88.4%, respectively. The results indicate that the present procedure is a suitable method for extraction of imatinib and doxorubicin from environmental water samples.