Determination of sitagliptin in human plasma using a smart electrochemical sensor based on electroactive molecularly imprinted nanoparticles

Sitagliptin is a hypoglycaemic agent used to reduce blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Real time monitoring of sitagliptin levels is crucial to prevent overdose, which might cause liver, kidney and pancreatic diseases. As an alternative solution, a sitagliptin voltammetric sensor was fabricated using artificial receptors called electroactive molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs). The nanoMIP tagged with a redox probe (ferrocene) combines both the recognition and reporting functions. Traditional electrochemical sensors determine the redox activity of an analyte. Thus, they are influenced by interfering molecules and the nature of the sample. These innovative nanoMIPs allow us to easily design and customise sensors, increase their sensitivity and minimise the cross reactivity in biological samples. The present technology replaces the traditional enzyme-mediator pairs used in traditional biosensors. The polymer composition was optimized "