Electrochemical study of bergenin on a poly(4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol) modified glassy carbon electrode and its determination in tablets and urine

A very sensitive electroanalytical method was employed to determine bergenin in phosphate buffer with a pH of 6.0, bergenin was accumulated at a 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) polymer film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface under the condition of open-circuit. In the following anodic sweep from −0.4 to 0.8 V, bergenin adsorbed at the PAR polymer film modified electrode surface, was oxidized and yielded a sensitive oxidation peak at 0.595 V. Due to its unique structure and extraordinary properties, the PAR polymer film shows higher accumulation efficiency toward bergenin compared with a bare GCE. Hence, the amount of bergenin at the PAR polymer film modified GCE surface increases significantly, and finally the oxidation peak current improves greatly. The experimental conditions, such as supporting electrolyte, pH value, accumulation time and scan rate, were optimized for the measurement of bergenin, and a sensitive electroanalytical method was proposed for bergenin determination. The oxidation peak current varies linearly with the concentration of bergenin over the range of 2.0 × 10−7 to 1.2 × 10−5 mol/L, and the detection limit is 2.0 × 10−8 mol/L after 3 min open-circuit accumulation. The relative standard deviation of the same electrode in 10 successive scans is 1.8% for 1.0 × 10−6 mol/L bergenin and 2.1% for interelectrodes, indicating excellent reproducibility. This new method was successfully demonstrated with bergenin tablets and diluted urine.