Development of a Highly Sensitive Electrochemical Sensor for Detecting the Antipsychotic Agent Cariprazine in Pharmaceutical Capsules and Biological Fluids Using Boron Nitride Quantum Dots

Abstract

In this work, we describe the synthesis of boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) and explore their use as an electrochemical sensor for the sensitive detection of the antipsychotic agent cariprazine (CAPZ) in pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples. BNQDs composite was synthesized using a simple and efficient hydrothermal approach in a single step, resulting in high-quality, monodisperse quantum dots with excellent fluorescence properties. The structural and optical characteristics of the BNQDs were performed through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy methods. The synthesized BNQDs were then employed to fabricate an electrochemical sensor, which demonstrated exceptional sensitivity and selectivity for CAPZ detection. The modified electrode exhibited a broad linear response range (0.02µM–1 µM) and a low detection limit (6.89 nM), making it suitable for the trace analysis of CAPZ in complex matrices. The electrochemical characteristics of CAPZ were examined using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), which revealed a distinct oxidation peak indicative of the presence of CAPZ. The sensor's practicality was proven through the analysis of CAPZ in commercial pharmaceutical formulations (Capsule) and spiked biological samples. The results indicated good recovery rates and reproducibility, confirming the sensor's reliability for real-world applications.