Sensitive Electrochemical Monitoring of Piroxicam in Pharmaceuticals Using Carbon Ionic Liquid Electrode

Background: Piroxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The prevailing clinical use and investigation of piroxicam necessitate a rapid and sensitive method for its determination. A carbon ionic liquid electrode, fabricated using graphite and the ionic liquid 1-octylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate (OPFP) was used as an electrochemical sensor for piroxicam determination. Methods: The surface of the proposed electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was applied to study the oxidation of piroxicam and to acquire information about the reaction mechanism. Differential pulse voltammetry was also used as an analytical technique for quantification of the sub-micromolar concentration of piroxicam. Results: One oxidation peak at 0.55V was observed at CILE. The oxidation peak at the CPE was weak, while the response was notably increased at the CILE. The proposed electrode exhibited interesting sensitivity towards the determination of piroxicam and the anodic peak current versus piroxicam concentration was linear in the ranges of 0.2-60 µM. The detection limit of 40 nM was achieved. Conclusion: The electroxidation process was irreversible and revealed adsorption controlled behavior. The method was successfully applied for the determination of piroxicam content in pharmaceutical samples.