In this paper, it was found that, compared to the modification of the graphite electrode with carboxyl-based multi-walled carbon nanotubes, the pre-anodized graphite electrode prepared by electrochemical method, not only still owned the pre-concentrating effect for famotidine, but also created a suitable electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) reaction microenvironment to improve the enhancing ECL effect of the famotidine on electro-oxidation of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+). Based on these findings, a new ECL method for famotidine was developed. Under the optimum experimental conditions, this new ECL method offered a 1.9 x 10(-10) g/mL detection limit for famotidine and the enhancing ECL signal was linear with famotidine concentration in the range of 1.0 x 10(-9) -1.0 x 10(-6) g/mL. The presented method was successfully used to detect famotidine in plasma samples. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.