Electrochemical Sensing of Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs

Electrochemical sensing of anti-tuberculosis drugs leverages the redox activity of agents such as rifampicin and isoniazid to provide rapid, sensitive and cost-effective therapeutic drug monitoring. Unlike conventional chromatographic methods, electrochemical sensors deliver near-real-time measurements with minimal sample preparation and compact instrumentation, making them well suited to point-of-care deployment. Core elements include the working electrode, reference electrode and auxiliary electrode, with surface modifications—such as nanomaterials or molecularly imprinted polymers—used to enhance selectivity and electron transfer kinetics. Techniques such as differential pulse voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy quantify drug concentrations by measuring current or impedance changes under controlled potential sweeps. Advances in electrode materials—from carbon and glassy carbon to boron-doped diamond and screen-printed substrates—coupled with nanostructured modifiers (for example carbon nanotubes or metal oxide nanorods) have driven detection limits into the picomolar or even femtomolar range. Integration with miniaturised electronics and microfluidic platforms promises real-time monitoring of patient samples, facilitating dose adjustment, improving compliance and mitigating the emergence of drug resistance. Interdisciplinary collaboration among materials scientists, analytical chemists and clinical pharmacologists is accelerating translation of these sensors into resource-limited settings, where they can play a critical role in global tuberculosis control efforts.

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Electrochemical Sensing of Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical sensing of anti-tuberculosis drugs across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Electrochemical sensor: An analytical device that converts chemical interactions at an electrode interface into an electrical signal proportional to analyte concentration.

Screen-printed electrode: A low-cost, disposable electrode produced by depositing conductive inks onto a substrate, enabling mass fabrication and on-site analysis.

Differential pulse voltammetry: A voltammetric technique applying a sequence of potential pulses to the working electrode and measuring current differences, offering high sensitivity and resolution.

Limit of detection (LOD): The lowest analyte concentration that can be reliably distinguished from the background signal, typically defined by a signal-to-noise ratio of three.

Nanomaterial modifier: A nanoscale additive (for example carbon nanotubes or metal oxide nanorods) used to increase electrode surface area and facilitate electron transfer, thereby enhancing sensitivity and selectivity.

References

1. First Screen-Printed Sensor (Electrochemically Activated Screen-Printed Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode) for Quantitative Determination of Rifampicin by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry. Materials (2021).
2. Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes-CeO2 Nanorods: A “Nanonetwork” Modified Electrode for Detecting Trace Rifampicin. Nanomaterials (2020).
3. Development and validation of an electroanalytical methodology for determination of isoniazid and rifampicin content in pharmaceutical formulations. Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2009).