A facile synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles as a nano-sensor to detect levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in human blood and evaluation of their biological activities†

Abstract

A rapid synthesis of a pH-stable magnetic nano-sensor (iron oxide nanoparticles, Fe-NPs, ∼2.6 nm) encapsulated with 3-aminobenzoic acid (3-ABA) was achieved. 3-ABA was prepared for the first time through the reduction of 3-nitrobenzoic acid (3-NBA) in the presence of HCl and tin. Electron-impact mass spectrometry (EIMS), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ultraviolet visible (UV) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used for characterization. Ten drugs, namely, ciprofloxacin (CPF), levocetirizine (LCT), levofloxacin (LVF), sulbactam sodium (SBS), ephedrine (EPH), thymine (THM), sertraline (SRT), pyridoxine (PRX), cefotaxime (CFX) and ceftriaxone (CFT) were screened with Fe-NPs. A pronounced hypsochromic shift was observed for levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, proving that 3-ABA-coated Fe-NPs were an efficient nano-sensor for levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin up to the limit of 0.5 and 0.7 μM, respectively. The stoichiometry of the complexes was conclusively determined as 1 : 1 using Job's plot analysis. Furthermore, the drugs were successfully detected in real samples, including tap water, well water, and human blood. Moreover, the antioxidant activity, urease and lipoxygenase inhibitory potential of these nanoparticles were evaluated, exhibiting promising antioxidant potential.