In clinical settings, the dosing
and differential diagnosis of
the poisoning of morphine (MO) and codeine (CO) is challenging due
to interindividual variations in metabolism. However, direct electrochemical
detection of these analytes from biological matrices is inherently
challenging due to interference from large concentrations of anions,
such as ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA), as well as fouling
of the electrode by proteins. In this work, a disposable Nafion-coated
single-walled carbon nanotube network (SWCNT) electrode was developed.
We show facile electron transfer and efficient charge separation between
the interfering anions and positively charged MO and CO, as well as
significantly reduced matrix effect in human plasma. The Nafion coating
alters the voltammetric response of MO and CO, enabling simultaneous
detection. With this SWCNT/Nafion electrode, two linear ranges of
0.05–1 and 1–10 μM were found for MO and one linear
range of 0.1–50 μM for CO. Moreover, the selective and
simultaneous detection of MO and CO was achieved in large excess of
AA and UA, as well as, for the first time, in unprocessed human plasma.
The favorable properties of this electrode enabled measurements in
plasma with only mild dilution and without the precipitation of proteins.