Development of piroxicam sensor based on molecular imprinted polymer-modified carbon paste electrode

A new voltammetric sensor for piroxicam measurement is introduced. A piroxicam-selective molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) and a non-imprinted polymer (NIP) were synthesized in a non-covalent approach using methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linking monomer via a free radical polymerization and then was used for carbon paste (CP) electrode preparation. The MIP, embedded in the carbon paste electrode, functioned as a selective recognition element and pre-concentrator agent for piroxicam determination. The prepared electrode was used for piroxicam measurement via a three-step procedure including analyte extraction in the electrode, electrode washing and electrochemical measurement of piroxicam. The MIP–CP electrode showed good recognition ability in comparison to NIP–CP. Some parameters affecting sensor response were optimized. Under optimum conditions the oxidation peak current was proportional to piroxicam concentration over the range 2–190 and 190–2500 nM. The detection limit was found to be 0.5 nM. This sensor has been successfully applied for the determination of piroxicam in pharmaceutical formulations and serum samples.