A one-step method to construct a third-generation biosensor based on horseradish peroxidase and gold nanoparticles embedded in silica sol–gel network on gold modified electrode

Immobilization of horseradish peroxidase with zwitterionic polymer material for industrial phenolic removal

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is a hemoglobin composed of a single peptide chain that catalyzes the oxidation of various substrates such as phenol and aniline in the presence of hydrogen peroxide via its iron-porphyrin catalytic center. This enzyme is widely used in industrial phenol removal, food additives, biomedicine, and clinical test reagents due to its rapid reaction rate and obvious reaction outcomes. However, the large-scale use of HRP in industrial applications still faces numerous challenges, including activity, stability, and sustainability. This study demonstrates that when peroxidase is immobilized in zwitterionic polymer hydrogels, polycarboxybetaine (PCB) and polysulfobetaine (PSB), the properties of the enzyme are improved. PCB and PSB-embedded HRP exhibit a 6.11 and 1.53 times increase in Kcat/Km value, respectively, compared to the free enzyme. The immobilized enzyme also experiences increased activity over a range of temperatures and better tolerance to extreme pH and organic solvents, including formaldehyde. In addition, immobilized HRP exhibits excellent performance in storage and reproducibility. Remarkably, PCB-HRP still retains 80% of the initial activity after a 6-week storage period and can still attain the initial catalytic level of the free enzyme after six repeated cycles. It also removes 90% of phenol within 12 min, surpassing the current pharmacy on the market. These experimental results indicated that we have successfully designed a set of stable and efficient support substrates for horseradish peroxidase, which enhances its suitability for deployment in industrial applications.

Effect of ultrasound on the diffusion properties of casein entrapped in alginate-chitosan gel

The effects of ultrasound-assisted and pre-ultrasound treatment on the diffusion properties of casein imbedded by alginate-chitosan gel were investigated. The fluorescence spectrophotometry for determining the fluorescence intensity of casein was established to calculate the diffusion coefficient (De). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the microstructure of gel beads. The results showed that two different kinds of ultrasonic treatments had obvious distinctions on the casein diffusion. As the frequency increased, the value of De decreased from 28.56 × 10(-4)m(2)s(-1) (28 kHz) to 2.57 × 10(-4)m(2)s(-1) (135 kHz) during the ultrasound-assisted process. While, the minimum De of 8.6 × 10(-4)m(2)s(-1) was achieved at the frequency of 50 kHz for the pre-ultrasound treatment. The impact of power on the diffusion showed that De increased with the increase of ultrasound power until it reached the highest value 28.56 × 10(-4)m(2)s(-1) (0.45 W/cm(2)) in the ultrasound-assisted process. It would reach the maximum value (16 × 10(-4)m(2)s(-1)) when the power was 0.25 W/cm(2) in the pretreatment ultrasound process. SEM analysis exhibited that the gel structural changes (area ratio) were in accordance with De through different ultrasonic treatment. This was mainly due to the mechanical action and cavitation of the ultrasonic treatment. This study is important to explain the diffusion properties of large molecules and explore the mechanism of enzyme immobilization treated by ultrasound.

Horseradish Peroxidase Immobilization on Amine Functionalized Carbon Nano Tubes: Direct Electrochemistry and Bioelectrocatalysis

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was successfully immobilized on amine functionalized TiO2-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (NH2 TiO2 CNTs) by a convenient and efficient method. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and amperometry were applied to characterize the HRP/NH2- TiO2 - CNT nano-composite. These techniques showed that the NH2 TiO2CNTs greatly enhance the electron transfer between HRP and the modified electrode. Owing to the redox reaction of the electroactive centre of HRP, the HRP/NH2-TiO2-CNTs modified electrode exhibited a pair of quasi-reversible peaks with a peak-to-peak separation (Δ Ep) of 70.6 m V and a formal potential ( E°’) of - 367.65 m V (versus Ag/AgCl) in phosphate buffer solution. The charge transfer coefficient (a) and the apparent charge transfer rate constant (ks) were found to be 0.34 and 2.08 s-1 respectively. The prepared biosensor responded to H2O2 with a linear range, detection limit, sensitivity and response time of 1.0 × 10−9 to 1.0 × 10 −7 M, 0.786nM, 28.4 μA A nM−1 and 3 s, respectively.

Interactions of phenyldithioesters with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs): implications for AuNP functionalization and molecular barcoding of AuNP assemblies

The interactions of phenyldithioesters with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been studied by monitoring changes in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR), depolarised light scattering, and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Changes in the SPR indicated that an AuNP-phenyldithioester charge transfer complex forms in equilibrium with free AuNPs and phenyldithioester. Analysis of the Langmuir binding isotherms indicated that the equilibrium adsorption constant, K(ads), was 2.3 +/- 0.1 x 10(6) M(-1), which corresponded to a free energy of adsorption of 36 +/- 1 kJ mol(-1). These values are comparable to those reported for interactions of aryl thiols with gold and are of a similar order of magnitude to moderate hydrogen bonding interactions. This has significant implications in the application of phenyldithioesters for the functionalization of AuNPs. The SERS results indicated that the phenyldithioesters interact with AuNPs through the C=S bond, and the molecules do not disassociate upon adsorption to the AuNPs. The SERS spectra are dominated by the portions of the molecule that dominate the charge transfer complex with the AuNPs. The significance of this in relation to the use of phenyldithioesters for molecular barcoding of nanoparticle assemblies is discussed.

Direct electrochemistry of horseradish peroxidase-gold nanoparticles conjugate

We have studied the direct electrochemistry of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) coupled to gold nanoparticles (AuNP) using electrochemical techniques, which provide some insight in the application of biosensors as tools for diagnostics because HRP is widely used in clinical diagnostics kits. AuNP capped with (i) glutathione and (ii) lipoic acid was covalently linked to HRP. The immobilized HRP/AuNP conjugate showed characteristic redox peaks at a gold electrode. It displayed good electrocatalytic response to the reduction of H₂O₂, with good sensitivity and without any electron mediator. The covalent linking of HRP and AuNP did not affect the activity of the enzyme significantly. The response of the electrode towards the different concentrations of H₂O₂ showed the characteristics of Michaelis Menten enzyme kinetics with an optimum pH between 7.0 to 8.0. The preparation of the sensor involves single layer of enzyme, which can be carried out efficiently and is also highly reproducible when compared to other systems involving the layer-by-layer assembly, adsorption or encapsulation of the enzyme. The immobilized AuNP-HRP can be used for immunosensor applications.

An amperometric hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on immobilization of horseradish peroxidase on an electrode modified with magnetic dextran microspheres

A new kind of magnetic dextran microsphere (MDMS) with uniform shape and narrow diameter distribution has been prepared from magnetic iron nanoparticles and dextran. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was successfully immobilized on the surface of an MDMS-modified glassy-carbon electrode (GCE), and the immobilized HRP displayed excellent electrocatalytic activity in the reduction of H(2)O(2) in the presence of the mediator hydroquinone (HQ). The effects of experimental variables such as the concentration of HQ, solution pH, and the working potential were investigated for optimum analytical performance. This biosensor had a fast response to H(2)O(2) of less than 10 s and an excellent linear relationship was obtained in the concentration range 0.20 micromol L(-1)-0.68 mmol L(-1), with a detection limit of 0.078 micromol L(-1) (S/N = 3) under the optimum conditions. The response showed Michaelis-Menten behavior at larger H(2)O(2) concentrations, and the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant K(M)(app) was estimated to be 1.38 mmol L(-1). Moreover, the selectivity, stability, and reproducibility of the biosensor were evaluated, with satisfactory results.

Direct electrochemistry of lactate dehydrogenase immobilized on silica sol–gel modified gold electrode and its application

The direct electrochemistry of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) immobilized in silica sol-gel film on gold electrode was investigated, and an obvious cathodic peak at about -200 mV (versus SCE) was found for the first time. The LDH-modified electrode showed a surface controlled irreversible electrode process involving a one electron transfer reaction with the charge-transfer coefficient (alpha) of 0.79 and the apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (K(s)) of 3.2 s(-1). The activated voltammetric response and decreased charge-transfer resistance of Ru(NH(3))(6)(2+/3+) on the LDH-modified electrode provided further evidence. The surface morphologies of silica sol-gel and the LDH embedded in silica sol-gel film were characterized by SEM. A potential application of the LDH-modified electrode as a biosensor for determination of lactic acid was also investigated. The calibration range of lactic acid was from 2.0 x 10(-6) to 3.0 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) and the detection limit was 8.0 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. Finally, the effect of environmental pollutant resorcinol on the direct electrochemical behavior of LDH was studied. The experimental results of voltammetry indicated that the conformation of LDH molecule was altered by the interaction between LDH and resorcinol. The modified electrode can be applied as a biomarker to study the pollution effect in the environment.

One-step method embedding superoxide dismutase and gold nanoparticles in silica sol–gel network in the presence of cysteine for construction of third-generation biosensor

A new and one-step method has been developed for the fabrication of superoxide dismutase (SOD) based biosensor. This method was used to form a silica sol-gel (SG) thin film and to immobilize SOD and gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in silica SG network for the fabrication of biosensor. The immobilized superoxide dismutase realized direct electron transfer between the enzyme and electrode surface, and the rate constants of the electrochemical process (ks) of SOD was markedly enhanced by GNPs. The electrochemical performance and influencing factors of the resulting biosensor were studied in detail. The resulting biosensor exhibited fast amperometric response to superoxide anion. The calibration range of superoxide anion was from 0.05 to 0.4 micromol L(-1). The proposed method exhibited the benefits of the advantages of self-assembly, nanoparticles and SG techniques. The fabrication of the SOD-modified electrode was easy and simple. The biosensor exhibited high sensitivity and long-term stability.

A carbon nanotube/silica sol–gel architecture for immobilization of horseradish peroxidase for electrochemical biosensor

A novel third-generation biosensor for hydrogen peroxide (H202) has been constructed based on horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilized by the sol-gel (SG) technology on carbon nanotube (CNT)-modified electrode. CNT has good promotion effects on the direct electron transfer between HRP and the electrode surface and the SG network provides a biocompatible microenvironment for enzyme. The immobilized HRP retained its bioelectrocatalytic activity for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide and can respond to the change of concentration of H2O2 rapidly. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant was evaluated to be 2.8 +/- 0.4 s(-1). The amperometric response to H2O2 shows a linear relation in the range from 0.5 to 300 micromol 1(-1) and a detection limit of 0.1 micromol 1(-1) (S/N = 3). The KMapp value of HRP immobilized on the electrode surface was found to be 1.35 mmol 1(-1). The biosensor exhibited high sensitivity, rapid response and excellent long-term stability.

Self-assembling gold nanoparticles on thiol-functionalized poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) nanospheres for fabrication of a mediatorless biosensor

A novel strategy to construct a sensitive mediatorless sensor of H2O2 was described. At first, a cleaned gold electrode was immersed in thiol-functionalized poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) (St-co-AA) nanosphere latex prepared by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization St with AA and function with dithioglycol to assemble the nanospheres, then gold nanoparticles were chemisorbed onto the thiol groups and formed monolayers on the surface of poly(St-co-AA) nanospheres. Finally, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was immobilized on the surface of the gold nanoparticles. The sensor displayed an excellent electrocatalytical response to reduction of H2O2 without the aid of an electron mediator. The biosensor showed a linear range of 8.0 micromol L(-1)-7.0 mmol L(-1) with a detection limit of 4.0 micromol L(-1). The biosensor retained more than 97.8% of its original activity after 60 days' storage. Moreover, the studied biosensor exhibited good current reproducibility and good fabrication reproducibility.