Nguyen Dang Thuy Anh, Vo Thi Cam Le, Huynh Van Chung, Ngo Thi Thanh Xuan, Hoang Thi Minh Nguyet, Pham Thi Thanh Ha, Ha Thuy Trang, Le Hoang Hao, Dao Thi Cam Minh, Nguyen Hai Phong, Dinh Quang Khieu
The AgNPs-ErGO/ /GCE-based electrochemical method provides a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable approach for detecting sibutramine adulteration in herbal weight-loss products. This work contributes to the development of practical analytical tools for quality control and consumer safety monitoring.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Sibutramine is a synthetic anti-obesity drug that has been banned or restricted in many countries due to serious cardiovascular risks. However, its illegal adulteration in herbal weight-loss products remains a public health concern. This study aimed to develop a simple, sensitive, and reliable electrochemical method for the determination of sibutramine in herbal weight-loss products using a silver-nanoparticle-electrochemically reduced graphene oxide modified glassy carbon electrode.
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Graphene oxide, electrochemically reduced graphene oxide, silver nanoparticles and AgNPs-ErGO nanocomposite were synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The AgNPs-ErGO-modified glassy carbon electrode was fabricated and used for sibutramine detection by linear sweep voltammetry. Experimental parameters affecting the analytical signal were optimized. The method was validated according to AOAC guidelines and compared with an HPLC-DAD reference method.
KEY RESULTS: The AgNPs-ErGO/GCE exhibited improved electrochemical response toward sibutramine compared with bare and other modified electrodes. The developed method showed good selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and sensitivity for sibutramine determination. Application to commercial herbal weight-loss samples demonstrated the suitability of the proposed method for real sample analysis, with results comparable to those obtained by HPLC-DAD.
CONCLUSION: The AgNPs-ErGO/ /GCE-based electrochemical method provides a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable approach for detecting sibutramine adulteration in herbal weight-loss products. This work contributes to the development of practical analytical tools for quality control and consumer safety monitoring.