An electrochemical sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymers for the detection of acetaminophen

As an analgesic and antipyretic drug, acetaminophen (AP) is widely employed in the treatment of cold, fever and relief of pain. However, AP could lead to the accumulation of its toxic metabolites in case of overdosing, which has fatal hepato- and nephro-toxic effects on health. Although there are already reported protocols for the determination of AP such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), spectrophotometry or titrimetry, those processes are time-consuming and laborious. As an alternative, herein we synthesized an electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) film on the surface of a graphite epoxy composite electrode for the determination of AP by electrochemical means. The electrochemical sensor exhibited superb sensitivity, selectivity, and a wide detection range towards acetaminophen.