A sensitive rutin sensor based on Chi/PCN222-Fe3O4/MWCNTs-CTAB/GCE for traditional Chinese medicine

A modified glassy carbon electrode detected rutin, a flavonoid glycoside found in plants, at concentrations as low as 1.75 nanomolar in an analytical study published in the Journal of Materials Science. The electrochemical sensor produced a linear measurement range from 0.02 to 8 micromolar and was applied successfully to three traditional Chinese medicines: Flos Sophorae Immaturus, Folium Mori and dandelion. Its results showed good agreement with measurements obtained by traditional high-performance liquid chromatography.

The study, published on 31 August 2026, focused on developing an enzyme-like sensor for detecting rutin in medicinal plant materials. Rutin is described in the source as a naturally occurring flavonoid glycoside distributed among various plant species. It also has documented antioxidant, antidiabetic and vascular-endothelium-protective activities. Those pharmacological properties provide the stated rationale for developing an efficient detection method, but the reported work concerns chemical analysis rather than the treatment of disease or the clinical effects of rutin.

For the sensor, the researchers modified a glassy carbon electrode with a composite containing chitosan, PCN222, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotubes and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. PCN222 is identified as metal–organic framework MOF-545. Square wave voltammetry was used to evaluate the sensor’s analytical response, while scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were among the methods used to analyze the modified materials and electrodes. The available abstract does not describe the complete electrode-fabrication procedure or establish the separate contribution of each composite component to the measured signal.

The reported limit of detection was 1.75 nM, below the stated linear range of 0.02–8 µM. In units of nanomolar, that range extends from 20 to 8,000 nM. The researchers also report that the sensor maintained high sensitivity and selectivity when various coexisting interfering substances were present in the detection system. However, the supplied source does not identify those substances or provide their concentrations, so the scope of the interference experiments cannot be assessed from the abstract alone.

Testing with Flos Sophorae Immaturus, Folium Mori and dandelion showed that the electrochemical method could detect rutin in these herbal products, with results described as having very good accuracy relative to traditional high-performance liquid chromatography. That agreement supports the reported analytical performance of the modified electrode in the tested samples. The evidence provided does not include replicate numbers, recovery values, batch-to-batch precision, storage stability or results for additional matrices, and it does not establish how the method performs outside the conditions and samples examined. The central findings are therefore the 1.75 nM detection limit, the 0.02–8 µM linear range, resistance to tested interferents and agreement with chromatography for three traditional Chinese medicines.

Subject of Research: Electrochemical detection of rutin in traditional Chinese medicines using a nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode

Article Title: A sensitive rutin sensor based on Chi/PCN222-Fe3O4/MWCNTs-CTAB/GCE for traditional Chinese medicine

Article References: Nie, W., Tong, G.-H., Xu, C.-Y., Zheng, H.-X., Zhang, F.-Y., Liu, T., Zhang, Y.-D., Abdalbagemohammedabdalsadeg, S., Hong, J., & Xiao, B.-L. (2026). A sensitive rutin sensor based on Chi/PCN222-Fe3O4/MWCNTs-CTAB/GCE for traditional Chinese medicine. Journal of Materials Science, 61(40), 30752-30767. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-026-13587-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s10853-026-13587-x

Keywords: rutin detection, electrochemical sensor, glassy carbon electrode, traditional Chinese medicine, metal-organic framework, chitosan, carbon nanotubes, square wave voltammetry, high-performance liquid chromatography, plant analysis, sensitive, rutin