Development of a molecularly imprinted poly‐pyrrole biosensor for rapid and accurate estimation of liothyronine: Toward point‐of‐care quality assessment

Abstract Liothyronine (T 3 ) is a thyroid hormone, which is frequently administered alongside thyroxine in the treatment of hypothyroidism. However, several market withdrawals have been called for due to persistent quality issues with liothyronine tablets. Given its narrow therapeutic index, maintaining optimal liothyronine levels is imperative, highlighting the criticality of ensuring quality both during manufacturing and at the patient's bedside. In this study, we introduce a pioneering electroanalytical biosensor designed for liothyronine estimation using molecularly imprinted poly‐pyrrole (MIP‐Ppy). Notably, the sensor demonstrates linear response within the concentration range of 50–300 pg/mL ( r 2 = 0.986) with a remarkable limit of detection (LOD) of 80 pg/mL. Interference studies were performed to validate the sensor's robustness, displaying negligible response alterations. This method was used for the assay of liothyronine tablets and was compared with the traditional HPLC method. The MIP‐Ppy biosensor showed 90.7% recovery with a minimal relative standard deviation of 0.093 whereas HPLC showed 91.2% recovery with RSD 0.052. These findings underscore the biosensor's potential as a cost‐effective alternative to sophisticated chromatographic methods for liothyronine estimation in pharmaceutical tablets. This advancement lays the groundwork for the development of a user‐friendly point‐of‐care device.