This work presents a new method for minoxidil detection based on silver nanoparticle (AgNP) oxidation. Minoxidil, which is a pyrimidine N-oxide, can be reduced to its corresponding pyrimidine via a redox reaction. In this system, acetate buffer serves as a proton source. AgNPs act as electron donors that contribute electrons to the reaction, producing Ag+. Consequently, the sizes and numbers of AgNPs in the system decrease, which results in a decline in their resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS). By monitoring the RRS intensity at 409 nm, a change in intensity was linearly related to the minoxidil concentration over a concentration range of 0.5 - 5.0 mM. The detection limit was 0.35 mM. This approach is simple and rapid. It is done by directly mixing the drug and AgNPs in an acidic buffer. The reaction was completed within 2 min. This proposed method was successfully utilized for quantification of minoxidil in topical hair-growth formulations.
Keywords: Deoxygenation; Minoxidil; Oxidation; Pyrimidine N-oxide; Resonance Rayleigh scattering; Silver nanoparticles.
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