Enantioselective Sensor for the Potentiometric Detection of Atorvastatin Used in COVID-19 Therapy

A chiral drug must stereospecifically bind to the SARS-CoV-2 protein targets (Spike, RdRP, or 3CL protease) to form a stable diastereomeric complex for effective action. Herein, we show the enantioselective binding differences between anti-covid drug atorvastatin (RR-AT and SS-AT) isomers and bovine serum albumin (BSA). RR-AT (strong) and SS-AT (weak) form a 1:1 complex with BSA. Our findings, particularly the strong binding of RR-AT to BSA, hold significant promise for treating COVID-19. Using nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers (NCNF) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with BSA, the device we developed is a step towards more effective and targeted treatments. The enantioselective solid contact ion selective electrode displays a Nernstian slope of 59.70 ± 0.20 mV decade −1 with a linear concentration range extending from 1.0 × 10 –2 to 1.0 × 10 –7 M, and a detection limit of 6.5 ± 0.16 × 10 –8 M for the analysis of the RR-AT isomer. The sensor exhibited promising enantioselective detection of RR-AT in the presence of a large excess of SS-AT (1:99). Moreover, good recovery values, near 98%–102%, were achieved for the analysis of RR-AT in pharmaceutical and biological samples, including blood and urine samples from patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 on AT medication.