Abstract

The electrochemical behavior of atorvastatin calcium at glassy carbon and boron-doped diamond electrodes has been studied using voltammetric techniques. The possible mechanism of oxidation was discussed with model compounds. The dependence of the peak current and potentials on pH, concentration, scan rate and nature of the buffer were investigated for both electrodes. The oxidation of atorvastatin was irreversible and exhibited a diffusion-controlled fashion on the diamond electrode. A linear response was obtained within the range of 9.65 x 10-7 - 3.86 x 10-5 M in 0.1 M H2SO4 solution for both electrodes. The detection limits of a standard solution are estimated to be 2.11 x 10-7 M with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and 2.05 x 10-7M with square wave voltammetry (SWV) for glassy carbon electrode, and 2.27 x 10-7 M with DPV and 1.31 x 10-7M with SWV for diamond electrodes in 0.1 M H2SO4 solution. The repeatability of the methods was found good for both electrodes. The methods were fully validated and successfully applied to the highthroughput determination of the drug in tablets, human serum and human urine with good recoveries.

Keywords: Atorvastatin calcium, voltammetry, screening, pharmaceuticals, human serum and urine