Pyrrole–phenylboronic acid: A novel monomer for dopamine recognition and detection based on imprinted electrochemical sensor

A label-free aptasensor based on polyethyleneimine wrapped carbon nanotubes in situ formed gold nanoparticles as signal probe for highly sensitive detection of dopamine

Herein, a highly sensitive and selective aptamer biosensor for quantitative detection of a model target, dopamine (DA), was developed by using a gold (Au) electrode modified with highly dispersed gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and acid-oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs-COOH) functionalized with polyethyleneimine (PEI). Amine-terminated12-mercaptureprobe (ssDNA1) as a capture probe and specific DA-aptamer (ssDNA2) as a detection probe was immobilized on the surface of a modified electrode via the formation of covalent amide bond and hybridization, respectively. Methylene blue (MB) was used as the redox probe, which was intercalated into the aptamer through the specific interaction with its guanine bases. In the presence of DA, the interaction between aptamer and DA displaced the MB from the electrode surface, rendering a lowered electrochemical signal attributed to decreased amount of adsorbed MB. The developed electrochemical DA aptasensor showed a good linear response to DA from 5 to 300nM with detection limit of 2.1nM. The biosensor also exhibited satisfactory selectivity and could be successfully used to detect DA in blood serum sample.

Recent progress in electrochemical biosensors based on phenylboronic acid and derivatives

This review provides an overview of recent progress made in the development of electrochemical biosensors based on phenylboronic acid (PBA) and its derivatives. PBAs are known to selectively bind 1,2- and 1,3-diols to form negatively charged boronate esters in neutral aqueous media and have been used to construct electrochemical glucose sensors because of this selective binding. PBA-modified metal and carbon electrodes have been widely studied as voltammetric and potentiometric glucose sensors. In some cases, ferroceneboronic acid or ferrocene-modified phenylboronic acids are used as sugar-selective redox compounds. Another option for sensors using PBA-modified electrodes is potentiometric detection, in which the changes in surface potential of the electrodes are detected as an output signal. An ion-sensitive field effect transistor (FET) has been used as a signal transducer in potentiometric sensors. Glycoproteins, such as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), avidin, and serum albumin can also be detected by PBA-modified electrodes because they contain hydrocarbon chains on the surface. HbA1c sensors are promising alternatives to enzyme-based glucose sensors for monitoring blood glucose levels over the preceding 2-3months. In addition, PBA-modified electrodes can be used to detect a variety of compounds including hydroxy acids and fluoride (F(-)) ions. PBA-based F(-) ion sensors may be useful if reagentless sensors can be developed.

Design and characterization of electrochemical dopamine-aptamer as convenient and integrated sensing platform

Here, an ultrasensitive label-free electrochemical aptasensor was developed for dopamine (DA) detection. Construction of the aptasensor was carried out by electrodeposition of gold-platinum nanoparticles (Au-PtNPs) on glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with acid-oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs-COOH). A designed complementary amine-capped capture probe (ssDNA1) was immobilized at the surface of PtNPs/CNTs-COOH/GC electrode through the covalent amide bonds formed by the carboxyl groups on the nanotubes and the amino groups on the oligonucleotides. DA-specific aptamer was attached onto the electrode surface through hybridization with the ssDNA1. Methylene blue (MB) was used as an electrochemical indicator that was intercalated into the aptamer through the specific interaction with its guanine bases. In the presence of DA, the interaction between aptamer and DA displaced the MB from the electrode surface, rendering a lowered electrochemical signal attributed to a decreased amount of adsorbed MB. This phenomenon can be applied for DA detection. The peak current of probe (MB) linearly decreased over a DA concentration range of 1-30 nM with a detection limit of 0.22 nM.

Clustering Small Dendrimers into Nanoaggregates for Efficient DNA and siRNA Delivery with Minimal Toxicity

Cationic dendrimers are widely used as nonviral gene vectors, however, current gene materials based on dendrimers are either little effective or too toxic on the transfected cells. Here, a facile strategy is presented to prepare high efficient dendrimers with low transfection toxicity. Small dendrimers with 2 nm are clustered into nanoaggregates (≈100 nm) via phenylboronic acid modification and the self-assembled materials enable efficient DNA and siRNA delivery on several cell lines. The clustered nanostructures can disassemble into small dendrimers in acidic conditions thus exerting significantly less toxicity on the transfected cells. Further structure-function relationship studies reveal that both the phenyl group and boronic acid group play essential roles in the self-assembly and gene delivery processes. The transfection efficacy of phenylboronic acid-modified dendrimers can be down-regulated by blocking the boronic acid groups on dendrimers with diols or degrading the groups with hydrogen peroxide. This study provides a facile strategy in the development of efficient and biocompatible gene vectors based on low molecular weight polymers and clearly demonstrates the structure-function relationship of phenylboronic acid-modified polymers in gene delivery.

Hydrophilic polymer/polypyrrole/graphene oxide nanosheets with different performances in electrocatalytic applications to simultaneously determine dopamine and ascorbic acid

Hydrophilic polymers functionalized polypyrrole/graphene oxide nanosheets were successfully synthesized and presented different performance for simultaneous determination to DA and AA.

Boronic acid based imprinted electrochemical sensor for rutin recognition and detection

An electrochemical sensor based on boronic acid affinity and molecular imprinted polymer specific binding was developed for rutin dual-recognition and sensitive detection.

Electrochemiluminescence sensor for dopamine with a dual molecular recognition strategy based on graphite-like carbon nitride nanosheets/3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid hybrids

Preparation of an ECL sensor and graphite-like carbon nitride nanosheets/3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid hybrids.

Electrochemical sensing using boronic acids

Boronic acids can bind with 1,2- or 1,3-diols to form five or six-membered cyclic complexes and also can interact with Lewis bases to generate boronate anions, making them suitable for the electrochemical sensing of these species

A novel substitution -sensing for hydroquinone and catechol based on a poly(3-aminophenylboronic acid)/MWCNTs modified electrode

A novel electrochemical sensor prepared by electropolymerized aminophenylboronic acid presented a dual-signal for sensitive and selective catechol detection.

An electrochemiluminescence biosensor for dopamine based on the recognition of fullerene-derivative and the quenching of cuprous oxide nanocrystals

Based on the multifunctional fullerene-derivative (l-Cys–C₆₀–APBA) and the cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) nanocrystals, an electrochemiluminescence biosensor for dopamine was constructed.

A sensitive dopamine biosensor based on ultra-thin polypyrrole nanosheets decorated with Pt nanoparticles

A Pt/UltraPPy modified glassy carbon electrode is a highly sensitive new sensor for the detection of dopamine.