To protect consumers from risks related to overexposure to sulfadiazine, total residues of this antibacterial agent in animal-origin foodstuffs not exceed international regulations. To this end, a new electrochemical sensor based on a molecularly imprinted polymer nanocomposite using overoxidized polypyrrole and copper nanoparticles for the detection of sulfadiazine is elaborated. After optimization of the preparation of the electrochemical sensors, their differential pulse voltammetric signal exhibits an excellent stability and reproducibility at 1.05 V, with a large linear range between 10⁻⁹ and 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ and a low detection limit of 3.1 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹. The produced sulfadiazine sensor was successfully tested in real milk samples. The combination of the properties of the electrical conduction of copper nanoparticles with the properties of the preconcentration of the molecularly imprinted overoxidized polypyrrole allows for the highly sensitive detection of sulfadiazine, even in real milk samples. This strategy is new and leads to the lowest detection limit yet achieved, compared to those of the previously published sulfadiazine electrochemical sensors.

Heterocyclic chemistry has provided an inexhaustible source of pharmaceutical molecules. Heterocyclic compounds such as benzothiazole moieties and its derivatives area substantial class of compounds in pharmaceutical chemistry and exhibited therapeutic capabilities, such as antitumor, anticancer, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiviral, antimicrobial, antimalarial, anthelmintic and other activities. Besides, some antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporin have heterocyclic moiety. The growing prevalence of multi-drug resistant pathogens represents serious global concern,which requires the development of new antimicrobial drugs. Moreover, the emergence of pandemic SARSCoV-2 causing Covid-19 disease and all these health dilemmas urge the scientific community to examine the possible antimicrobial and antiviral capacities of some bioactive benzothiazole derivatives against these severe causative agents.This mini-review highlights some recent scientific literature on different benzothiazole molecules and their derivatives. It turns out that, there are numerous synthesized benzothiazole derivatives which exhibited different mode of actions against microorganisms or viruses and accordingly suggested them as an active candidate in the discovery of new antimicrobial or antiviral agents for clinical development. The recommended bioactive benzothiazole derivatives mentioned in the current study are mainly Schiff bases, azo dyes and metal complexes benzothiazole derivatives; the starting material for most of these derivatives are 2-aminobenzothiazole although careful pharmaceutical studies should be conducted to ensure the safety and efficacy of these bioactive synthesized molecules as an antimicrobial or antiviral drug in the future.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is considered the most toxic member of the ochratoxin group. Herein, a novel label-free electrochemical sensor based on the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme is developed for OTA detection. The HRP enzyme was covalently immobilized on the working electrode of a planar boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrochemical microcell previously covered with diazonium film and grafted with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Each surface modification step was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy. Square wave voltammetry was used for the detection of OTA. The linear working range of the biosensors ranged between 10⁻¹⁴ and 0.1 M, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 fM, an RSD equal to 5%, and a sensitivity of 0.8 µA per decade. In addition, the sensor showed good selectivity in the presence of OTA analogs; it was validated in samples such as corn, feed, and wheat. The metrological performance of the present sensor makes it a good alternative for OTA detection.

Study presents a comparative analytical investigation into the green synthesis of monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles using Punica granatum (pomegranate) extract, aimed at developing high-performance electrochemical sensors for the detection of ciprofloxacin (CIP) as a representative pharmaceutical pollutant. Three nanoparticle systems were successfully synthesized: monometallic Au@NPs and TiO₂@NPs, as well as the bimetallic AuTiO₂@NPs. Their structural and physicochemical characteristics were comprehensively analyzed using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, SEM, TEM, and XRD techniques. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited predominantly spherical morphologies with average particle sizes of approximately 40 ± 5 nm for Au@NPs, 50 ± 7 nm for TiO₂@NPs, and 60 ± 6 nm for AuTiO₂@NPs. These nanomaterials were subsequently employed to modify electrode surfaces for electrochemical sensing applications. Their analytical performance was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square-wave voltammetry (SWV). The sensors displayed excellent sensitivity, with limits of detection of 0.8 ppb for TiO₂@NPs, 0.8 ppb for Au@NPs, and 0.2 ppb for the AuTiO₂@NP-based sensor. The bimetallic platform demonstrated superior electrochemical behavior, enhanced signal intensity, and strong selectivity, achieving recovery rates of 98% in tap water and 103% in wastewater. Overall, the results confirm the effectiveness of green-synthesized bimetallic nanoparticles as efficient, low-cost materials for environmental monitoring of emerging pharmaceutical contaminants.