Novel enhanced detection and resolution of a nonfluorescent mixture in plasma at nanogram levels using sustainable fluorescent carbon dots and advanced chemometric models

For the first time, advanced chemometric models were utilized to determine florescence induced by carbon dots. In an endeavor to regulate anthelmintic drug usage by facilitating the determination of veterinary formulations in animals’ biological fluids, a novel fluorometric-assisted chemometric method has been developed for detecting two nonfluorescent drugs, Ivermectin (IVR) and Clorsulon (CLR). The method relies on the linear quenching effect of the drugs on the fluorescence intensity of carbon dots (CDs) synthesized from natural sources. Despite the significant overlap, chemometric models such as partial least squares (PLS) and artificial neural networks (ANN), assisted by genetic algorithms (GA), successfully resolved the issue and achieved high-precision recovery of both drugs. The method demonstrates a linearity range of 50–6000 ng/mL, rendering it suitable for determining both drugs in biological animal fluids. To ensure practical application, the method was applied to veterinary formulations and spiked animal plasma, yielding satisfactory results. Finally, a comparison of the proposed method with official ones revealed no significant differences. According to principles of white analytical chemistry (WAC), the method also obeys sustainability rules. The method was therefore proven to be a novel, safe and applicable alternative approach for this formulation.