Nanomolar detection of lurasidone hydrochloride in pharmaceutical formulations (Serodopamoun®) and spiked urine using a PVC/imprinted polymer/MWCNTs layer deposited onto polyaniline-coated screen-printed electrodes

This study developed potentiometric sensors for detecting lurasidone HCl (LSH), a vital drug for treating schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, in pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples. The sensors are based on screen-printed electrodes (SPE) modified with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) synthesized using lurasidone as a template, 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidine (VP) as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a crosslinker, and benzoyl peroxide as an initiator. The SPE was further modified with a conductive polyaniline (PANI) film and a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer containing MIP as an ionophore and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) as a transducing material along with 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (2-NPOE) as plasticizer. This configuration resulted in a sensor with a sensitive response and high selectivity for LSH. The electrochemical evaluation showed a Nernstian response slope of 57.3 ± 0.5 mV decade⁻¹ in a concentration range of 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻⁸ M, with a detection limit of 10 nM and a response time of 2-3 minutes in Tris buffer (pH = 7.0). The optimized sensor possessed significantly enhanced accuracy, providing a cost-effective alternative to traditional methods. The accuracy, selectivity, precision, stability, and sensitivity of these potentiometric sensors make them valuable for detecting LSH in urine samples spiked with the pharmaceutical formulation Serodopamoun®.