Introduction

Cancer chemotherapy with antineoplastic drugs destroys cancer cells through complete cell death or stops cell development while protecting healthy cells from damage [1]. Antineoplastic drugs currently aim to exploit this cancer cell distinction for targeted therapy, but most drugs cause adverse effects by attacking both cancer cells and healthy tissues, including bone marrow and hair follicle cells [1]. All cytotoxic drugs used in cancer treatment affect deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis [2].

Researchers have developed idarubicin (IRN) as a cytotoxic antibiotic for treating cancers like leukaemia, myeloma and haematological diseases [3]. IRN is a synthetic compound that demonstrates greater lipophilicity than doxorubicin while sharing an anthracycline structure and its mechanism of action includes intercalation among DNA base pairs and inhibiting topoisomerase II [4]. The development of a quick, inexpensive, practical sensor system to measure IRN levels in pharmaceutical products and human biological samples is a high-priority need. Electroanalytical methods stand out as the most effective and widely used techniques for measuring compounds because they deliver high sensitivity and precision, dependable results, and low operating costs [5-8].

Screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) are essential components for electrochemical method development because their manufacturing process enables the production of disposable electrodes with three electrodes printed in a compact design, thereby enabling system miniaturization, real-time analysis, and multiple simultaneous tests under actual field conditions [9]. The production of SPEs requires different conductive inks to be printed onto plastic, textile, and ceramic substrates [10]. The technology achieves widespread use in electrochemical monitoring because it serves environmental and biomedical and industrial monitoring requirements. Commercially available SPEs come in multiple types, but they can also be produced via screen printing, as the method is affordable and easy to use [11]. The research uses modified carbon SPEs to analyse drug concentrations in various samples [11].

The electrode serves as a catalyst, facilitating the flow of electric charge during electrochemical processes [12,13]. Transition metal-metal-oxide sensors exhibit excellent performance, detecting analytes with high sensitivity and selectivity while responding quickly to changes in glucose levels, owing to the oxide's surface layer, which enables multiple-electron oxidation [14]. Copper is available in large quantities and Cu oxides provide more stable properties than their metallic forms [15].

Nickel-based nanoparticles, which display excellent biological compatibility, possess extensive surface area, maintain stable properties, exhibit high electrical conductivity, and demonstrate electrocatalytic capabilities, have been used to enhance both sensitivity and detection limits in electrochemical research [16].

The study presents an easy-to-use electrochemical sensor system that detects IRN with higher accuracy by using a mixed Cu-Ni complex [Cu(opd)2(H2O)(μ-SCN)Ni(opd)(SCN)3] (opd = o-phenylenediamine) on a screen-printed graphite electrode (SPGE). The Cu-Ni/SPGE sensing platform outperformed unmodified SPGE in electrochemical performance for IRN detection. The proposed sensor demonstrated excellent electrochemical sensing performance for IRN detection, providing scientists with accurate measurements across its entire detection range. The antibacterial activity of the synthesized nano-complex (a) was tested on two groups of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus ATCC 25923) and Enterococcus faecalis (Enter_faeca ATCC 29212) and two bacterial types of Escherichia coli (E. coli ATCC 25922) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853). The results showed that among the synthesized nanocomplexes, showed higher antimicrobial activity than the ligand.