Engineering of layered iron vanadate nanostructure for electrocatalysis: Simultaneous detection of methotrexate and folinic acid in blood serum

In this study, nanostructure kazakhstanite-like iron vanadate (Fe_xV_3xO_y.H₂O) was synthesized and calcined at different temperatures (100–800 °C) in a nitrogen atmosphere. The material was used to modify screen-printed carbon electrodes to achieve an electrocatalytic effect on the surface. The relationship between calcination conditions and the catalytic performance of the electrode towards the oxidation of chemotherapeutic drugs, including methotrexate (MTX) and folinic acid (FA), was studied. Various spectroscopic, microscopic, and electrochemical methods were used to characterize the synthesized materials. The results show that calcination induces changes in the electronic structure, nanostructure morphology, electroactive surface area, and electrocatalytic performance of the material. Screen-printed carbon electrode modified with Fe_xV_3xO_y calcinated at 450 °C (SPC/Fe_xV_3xO_y-450) was used to develop a voltammetric sensor for the determination of MTX and FA in blood serum. The response of the SPC/Fe_xV_3xO_y-450 towards the electrooxidation of MTX and FA was the highest in comparison to the bare SPC and SPC/Fe_xV_3xO_y calcined at other temperatures. The SPC/Fe_xV_3xO_y-450 exhibited a linear relationship over a wide concentration range: 0.005–200 µM for MTX and 0.05–200 µM for FA. The detection limit was 2.85 nM for MTX and 7.79 nM for FA. Compared to conventional methods, the SPC/Fe_xV_3xO_y-450 sensor had a short response time (5 min) for simultaneous detection of MTX and FA without signal interferences from coexisting electroactive compounds. The accurate and precise determination of MTX in the presence of FA confirmed the potential clinical applications of SPC/Fe_xV_3xO_y-450 for therapeutic drug monitoring during chemotherapy.