Electrochemical Detection of Anti-anxiety Drug Clonazepam Using Electrophoretically Deposited Gold Nanoparticles.

Herein, we report a proof of concept based on non-enzymatic detection of the anti-anxiety drug clonazepam (CZP). The gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized via Turkevich method. Electrophoretic deposition of pristine AuNPs onto an indium tin oxide-coated glass substrate resulted in uniform film of Au nanostructures. Cyclic voltammetry has been used for the kinetic study of nanostructured gold and its response to the detection of CZP. Different metrological aspects were evaluated for the film, such as detection limit, sensitivity, repeatability, and reproducibility. The nanostructured film demonstrated linear voltammetric response to CZP concentration in the range of 1–9 μM, with low detection limit of 0.55 μM and high sensitivity of 14.77 μA/μM/cm². Artificial blood samples were prepared as per IS 16546:2016 standard. Recovery analysis of CZP in spiked samples of artificial blood revealed recoveries between 88 and 100%. This Au nanostructured platform for the detection of the anti-anxiety drug has implications for the development of efficient and non-enzymatic sensor in the field of forensics and toxicology screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]