Electrochemical Determination of Flutamide, a Non-steroidal Antiandrogen Prescribed in Prostate Cancer

Flutamide (4-nitro-3-trifluoromethyl-isobutylanilide) is a synthetic anti-androgenic pharmaceutic compound used in the treatment of prostate cancer. Flutamide is also on the essential drug list of WHO. Determination of flutamide levels in biological fluids or in pharmaceutical dosage is of great importance in clinical medicine. Monitoring flutamide can be done through several sensitive analytical methods such as chromatography, chemiluminescence, spectrophotometry. Since flutamide is an electroactive material, it can be targeted for electroanalysis too. Meanwhile, electrochemical methods are more attended by researchers due to their desirable properties compared with other analytical methods. Designing sensors and biosensors for electroactive drugs may be a new trend in pharmaceutical analyses. Here, the electrochemical methods reported on the determination of flutamide are reviewed. Materials and nanomaterials used in the modification of the working electrodes and the characterization of each method are considered and compared.