Surface-modified gold electrodes for electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH based on the immobilization of phenoxazine and phenothiazine derivatives on self-assembled monolayers

Electrochemical biosensing based comparative study of monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein

In this study, we are reporting an electrochemical biosensor for the determination of three different clones of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) recombinant nucleocapsid protein (rN). The nucleocapsid protein was chosen as a system component identifying and discriminating antibodies that occur after virus infection instead of S protein used in serological tests to measure antibodies raised after vaccination and infection. The sensing platform was based on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) covered with gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and subsequently modified with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) to ensure the covalent immobilization of the rN. The interaction between the protein and three clones of mAbs against SARS-CoV-2 rN with clone numbers 4G6, 7F10, and 1A6, were electrochemically registered in the range of concentrations. Three techniques, cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and pulse amperometric detection (PAD) were used for the detection. A gradual change in the responses with an increase in mAbs concentration for all techniques was observed. To assess the performance of the developed electrochemical biosensor, 'complexation constant' (KC), limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ) were calculated for all assessed clones of mAbs and all used techniques. Our results indicated that DPV possessing higher fitting accuracy illustrated more significant differences in KC constants and LOD/LOQ values. According to the DPV results, 7F10 clone was characterized with the highest KC value of 1.47 ± 0.07 μg/mL while the lowest LOD and LOQ values belonged to the 4G6 clone and equaled 0.08 ± 0.01 and 0.25 ± 0.01 μg/mL, respectively. Overall, these results demonstrate the potential of electrochemical techniques for the detection and distinguishing of different clones of mAbs against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein.

The crystal structure of 10-(3,5-di(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl)-10H-phenoxazine dihydrate, C28H23N3O3

C28H23N3O3, orthorhombic, Pna21 (no. 33), a = 29.0466(11) Å, b = 5.2448(3) Å, c = 14.4825(7) Å, V = 2206.32(19) Å3, Z = 4, R gt (F) = 0.0511, wR ref (F 2) = 0.1341, T = 100.00(10) K.

Carbon Quantum Dot-Modified Carbon Paste Electrode-Based Sensor for Selective and Sensitive Determination of Adrenaline

A carbon quantum dot-based carbon paste electrode was fabricated and used for the determination of adrenaline (AD) at the nanomolar level. This fabricated electrode exhibited tremendous electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of adrenaline in supporting electrolyte (PBS of pH 7.4). Scan rate variation studies with the modified electrode revealed that the overall electrode process was controlled by a diffusion process. A lower detection limit of 6 nM was achieved by chronoamperometry. Interference by biological molecules such as serotonin (5-HT) and ascorbic acid (AA) in the electrochemical oxidation of AD on the fabricated electrode was tested. It was observed that with the modified electrode, the selective determination of AD was possible. Further, with the fabricated electrode, simultaneous analysis of AA, AD, and 5-HT was performed, and it was observed that the overlapped peaks of these analytes on the naked electrode were well resolved into three peaks on the modified electrode. Along with decent sensitivity and selectivity, the electrode also showed higher stability and antifouling nature. The real-time application of the projected scheme was proven by employing the said electrode for adrenaline in adrenaline bitartrate injections.

Electropolymerized poly(Toluidine blue)-modified carbon felt for highly sensitive amperometric determination of NADH in flow injection analysis

Poly(pheniothiazine) films were prepared on a porous carbon felt (CF) electrode surface by an electrooxidative polymerization of three phenothiazine derivatives (i.e.,Tthionine (TN), Toluidine Blue (TB) and Methylene Blue (MB)) from 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.0). Among the three phenothiazies, the poly(TB) film-modified CF exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduced form (NADH) at +0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The poly(TB) film-modified CF was successfully used as working electrode unit of highly sensitive amperometric flow-through detector for NADH. The peak currents (peak heights) were almost unchanged, irrespective of a carrier flow rate ranging from 2.0 to 4.1 mL/min, resulting in the measurement of NADH (ca. 30 samples/hr) at 4.1 mL/min. The peak current responses of NADH showed linear relationship over the concentration range from 1 to 30 micromol/L (sensitivity: 0.318 microA/(micromol/L); correlation coefficient: 0.997). The lower detection limit was found to be 0.3 micromol/L (S/N = 3).

Guiding molecules with electrostatic forces in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

In surface enhanced raman scattering (SERS) the problem of drawing molecules to the places where surface plasmon resonance enhancements will produce signals is one of the most basic ones, and the initial obstacle to every application of the effect. We explore the possibility of using electrostatic forces as a means to "guide" charged molecules in solution toward SERS active substrates. We also show explicitly the possibility of selectively enhancing different types of dyes according to their charge, and we discuss briefly possible extensions for other applications where "electrostatic guiding" could be an option.

Comparative study of electron mediators used in the electrochemical oxidation of NADH

A comparison of the behavior of six different redox mediators for the electrocatalysis of the oxidation of NADH, which are widely used in the construction of dehydrogenase-based biosensors, is reported. The redox mediators were, potassium hexacyanoferrate (II), Meldola's Blue (MB), dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP), p-benzoquinone (p-BQ), o-phenylenediamine (o-PDA) and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (3,4-DHB). After incorporating each of them in the sensor system following four different strategies (in solution, entrapped in epoxy-composites, adsorbed or electropolymerized on the electrode surface), several aspects regarding repeatability and reproducibility were considered and compared.

Electrochemical oxidation of biological molecules at carbon paste electrodes pre-treated in guanine solutions

Carbon paste electrodes were modified in guanine solutions under an applied potential of 1.1 V and used for electrochemical detection of NADH, NADPH, uric acid and 8-oxoguanine. Detection limits were 3.3, 3.7, 6.6 and 2.0 x 10(-6) M, respectively, with sensitivity of 0.13, 0.10, 0.26 and 0.40 A mol(-1) l cm(-2), respectively. The electrodes showed high reproducibility and absence of surface poisoning effects. Good analytical performance was attributed to the formation of superficial dimer or trimers species of guanine during the modification process.

Analysis of NAD(P)+/NAD(P)H cofactors by imprinted polymer membranes associated with ion-sensitive field-effect transistor devices and Au-quartz crystals

Specific recognition sites for the NAD(P)+ and NAD(P)H cofactors are imprinted in a cross-linked acrylamide-acrylamidophenylboronic acid copolymer membrane. The imprinted membranes, associated with pH-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) or Au-quartz piezoelectric crystals, enable the potentiometric or microgravimetric analysis of the oxidized NAD(P)+ cofactors and the reduced NAD(P)H cofactors, respectively. The NAD+- and NADP+-imprinted membranes associated with the ISFET allow the analysis of NAD+ and NADP+ with sensitivities that correspond to 15.0 and 18.0 mVdecade(-1) and detection limits of 4 x 10(-7) and 2 x 10(-7) M, respectively. The NADH- and NADPH-imprinted membranes associated with the ISFET device enable the analysis of NADH and NADPH with sensitivities that correspond to 24.2 and 21.8 mV x decade(-1) and lower detection limits that are 1 x 10(-7) and 2 x 10(-7) M, respectively. The ISFET devices functionalized with the NADH and NADPH membranes are employed in the analysis of the biocatalyzed oxidation of lactic acid and ethanol in the presence of lactate dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase, respectively.

Electrical contacting of flavoenzymes and NAD(P)+-dependent enzymes by reconstitution and affinity interactions on phenylboronic acid monolayers associated with Au-electrodes

The preparation of integrated, electrically contacted, flavoenzyme and NAD(P)(+)-dependent enzyme-electrodes is described. The reconstitution of apo-glucose oxidase, apo-GOx, on a FAD cofactor linked to a pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) phenylboronic acid monolayer yields an electrically contacted enzyme monolayer (surface coverage 2.1 x 10(-)(12) mol cm(-)(2)) exhibiting a turnover rate of 700 s(-)(1) (at 22 +/- 2 degrees C). The system is characterized by microgravimetric quartz-crystal microbalance analyses, Faradaic impedance spectroscopy, rotating disk electrode experiments, and cyclic voltammetry. The performance of the enzyme-electrode for glucose sensing is described. Similarly, the electrically contacted enzyme-electrodes of NAD(P)(+)-dependent enzymes malate dehydrogenase, MalD, and lactate dehydrogenase, LDH, are prepared by the cross-linking of affinity complexes generated between the enzymes and the NADP(+) and NAD(+) cofactors linked to a pyrroloquinoline quinone phenylboronic acid monolayer, respectively. The MalD enzyme-electrode (surface coverage 1.2 x 10(-)(12) mol cm(-)(2)) exhibits a turnover rate of 190 s(-)(1), whereas the LDH enzyme-electrode (surface coverage 7.0 x 10(-)(12) mol cm(-)(2)) reveals a turnover rate of 2.5 s(-)(1). Chronoamperometric experiments reveal that the NAD(+) cofactor is linked to the PQQ-phenylboronic acid by two different binding modes. The integration of the LDH with the two NAD(+) cofactor configurations yields enzyme assemblies differing by 1 order of magnitude in their bioelectrocatalytic activities.

Electrocatalytic reduction of lipoic acid and electroenzymatic reduction of NAD(P)(+) for integrated dehydrogenase biosensors

Biosensors for the oxidized substrates of NAD(P)(+)-specific dehydrogenases demand the reductive recycling of the coenzymes. So far, suitable catalysts for the corresponding two-electron transfer are not available. In the present paper, this transport has been realized by a combined electrocatalytical and electroenzymatic process. Lipoic acid has been reduced on graphite electrodes functionalized with Fe(II)-phthalocyanine in 95% yield at-1200 mV in phosphate buffer pH 7.0. With the electrocatalytically reduced product, dihydrolipoic acid, lipoamide dehydrogenase could reduce NAD(+) in 20% yield and thioredoxin reductase NADP(+) in 18.4% yield. So far, the combined electrocatalytic/electroenzymatic system has not yet been realized, mainly because at the potential needed for the lipoic acid reduction, a parallel one-electron reduction of NAD(P)(+) was observed, implying the dimerization of the coenzyme.

Surface modifications for the development of piezoimmunosensors

Four different techniques for the immobilisation of proteins onto the gold electrode of a piezoelectric quartz crystal were investigated. The examined techniques were adsorption, avidin-biotin binding and two different types of covalent binding on self-assembled monolayers (SAM), dithiobis(succinimidylpropionate) (DSP) and a dextran modified thiol monolayer. The reaction of the immobilised proteins (bovine serum albumin (BSA) and anti-human IgG) with their specific antibodies, anti-BSA and hIgG (50 and 200 micrograms/ml) were studied using a quartz crystal microbalance and then compared. Many cycles of measurements were performed on the same crystal regenerating the gold surface with a solution of glycine.HCl, 100 mM, pH 2.1. The interactions of the immobilised reagents with non-specific antibodies were also studied. The adsorption protocol was the quickest, but did not allow regeneration with glycine.HCl. Thiol-dextran coated surfaces did not show any detectable response to non-specific reagents, but needed a very long and complicated protocol. DSP and avidin-biotin coating procedures were easy and not too long. They seemed to have the best characteristics of reproducibility among different crystals and possibility of regeneration of the coated surface, but the percentage of non-specific binding was high.

Enzyme support systems for biosensor applications based on gold-coated nylon meshes

A novel experimental protocol for enzyme immobilization based on the use of a very permeable support is described and applied to the development of an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) based biosensor. In this system, the enzyme was immobilized onto a gold-coated nylon mesh via a self-assembled monolayer of a bifunctional reagent, cystamine, preadsorbed onto the gold surface. This support has been characterized by optical microscopy and electrochemical measurements of permeability. In the assembled biosensor, the AChE modified mesh was placed over a glassy carbon electrode and the response to 4-aminophenylacetate, used as substrate, was monitored via the enzymatic reaction product, 4-aminophenol, by oxidation at +0.25 V vs. SSCE. This approach to biosensor design has been extended to the determination of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides by their inhibition of AChE enzymatic activity.