Fabrication of an electrochemical sensor based on molecular imprinting strategy for detecting salidroside

In recent years, molecular imprinting has emerged as a promising strategy for developing highly selective and sensitive sensors for various analytes. In this study, we present the fabrication and characterization of an electrochemical sensor based on the molecular imprinting strategy for the detection of salidroside, a bioactive compound found in Rhodiola rosea . The sensor employs a modified glassy carbon electrode functionalized with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as the working electrode. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared using acrylamide as the functional monomer and MWCNTs as the supporting material. The MIP-based sensor exhibited exceptional sensitivity and selectivity towards salidroside, showing a linear correlation between the logarithm of salidroside concentration and the reduced peak current in the range of 1 nM to 1 μM, with a low detection limit of 0.51 nM. The sensor demonstrated excellent reproducibility and stability, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 3.1 % for parallel measurements and 94.8 % retained response after a 7-day storage period. The spiked recovery experiments for Rhodiola rosea samples yielded high accuracy and precision, with recovery rates ranging from 96 % to 99 % and RSDs of 1–4 %. The developed MIP-based electrochemical sensor offers a powerful and reliable approach for the detection of salidroside, holding great potential for applications in pharmaceutical and herbal medicine industries.