Glassy carbon electrode modified with 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane and graphene oxide triggered a synergistic effect: Low-potential amperometric detection of reduced glutathione

Unveiling thiol biomarkers: Glutathione and cysteamine

The physiological and clinical importance of Glutathione and Cysteamine is emphasized by their participation in a range of conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, renal failure, Parkinson's disease, and hypothyroidism. This necessitates the requirement for accessible, expedited, and cost-efficient testing that can facilitate clinical diagnosis and treatment options. This article examines numerous techniques used to detect both glutathione and cysteamine. The discussed methods include electroanalytical techniques such as voltammetry and amperometry, which are examined for their sensitivity and ability to provide real-time analysis. Furthermore, this study investigates the accuracy of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in measuring the concentrations of glutathione and cysteamine. Additionally, the potential of new nanotechnology-based methods, such as plasmonic nanoparticles and quantum dots, to improve the sensitivity of detecting glutathione and cysteamine is emphasized.

In Situ Electrochemical Formation of Oxo-Functionalized Graphene on Glassy Carbon Electrode with Chemical Fouling Recovery and Antibiofouling Properties for Electrochemical Sensing of Reduced Glutathione

Electrochemical detection can be used to achieve intracellular or in vivo analysis of reduced glutathione (GSH) in tissues such as brain by using a microelectrode, which can help to better understand the complex biochemical processes of this molecule in the human body. The main challenges associated with electrochemical GSH detection are the chemical fouling of electrodes, caused by the oxidation product of GSSG, and biofouling due to the non-specific absorption of biological macromolecules. Oxo-functionalized graphene was generated in situ on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode using a green electrochemical method without using any other modifiers or materials in a mild water solution. The fabricated oxo-functionalized graphene interface was characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electrochemistry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. The interface showed high electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of GSH, and a simple and efficient GSH sensor was developed. Interestingly, the electrode is reusable and could be recovered from the chemical fouling via electrochemical oxidation and reduction treatment. The electrode also exhibited good antibiofouling properties. The presented method could be a promising method used to treat carbon materials, especially carbon-based microelectrodes for electrochemical monitoring of intracellular glutathione or in vivo analysis.

Covalent Organic Frameworks-TpPa-1 as an Emerging Platform for Electrochemical Sensing

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a new type of metal-free porous architecture with a well-designed pore structure and high stability. Here an efficient electrochemical sensing platform was demonstrated based on COFs TpPa-1 constructed by 1,3,5-triformylphloroglucinol (Tp) with p-phenylenediamine (Pa-1), which possesses abundant nitrogen and oxo-functionalities. COFs TpPa-1 exhibited good water dispersibility and strong adsorption affinities for Pd²⁺ and thus was used as loading support to modify Pd²⁺. The Pd²⁺-modified COFs TpPa-1 electrode (Pd²⁺/COFs) showed high electrocatalytic activity for both hydrazine oxidation reaction and nitrophenol reduction reaction. In addition, TpPa-1-derived nitrogen-doped carbon presented high activity for the electro-oxidation of reduced glutathione (GSH), and sensitive electrochemical detection of GSH was achieved. The presented COFs TpPa-1 can be utilized as a precursor as well as support for anchoring electro-active molecules and nanoparticles, which will be useful for electrochemical sensing and electrocatalysis.

Glutathione-Depleting Organic Metal Adjuvants for Effective NIR-II Photothermal Immunotherapy

Although photothermal immunotherapy (PTI) is a compelling strategy for tumor therapy, the development of promising photothermal agents to overcome the insufficient immunogenicity of tumor cells and the poor immune response encountered in PTI is still challenging. Herein, commercial small-molecule-based organic metal adjuvants (OMAs) are presented, with second near-infrared photoacoustic and photothermal properties as well as the ability to perturb redox homeostasis to potentiate immunogenicity and immune responsiveness. OMAs, assembled from charge-transfer complexes and characterized by a broad substrate scope, high accessibility, and flexibly tuned optical properties, demonstrate strong phototherapeutic and adjuvant abilities via the depletion of glutathione and cysteine, and subsequently elicit systemic immunity by evoking immunogenic cell death, promoting dendritic cell maturation, and increasing T cell infiltration. Furthermore, programmed cell death protein 1 antibody can be employed to synergize with OMAs to suppress tumor immune evasion and ultimately improve the treatment outcomes. This study unlocks new paradigms to provide a versatile OMA-based scaffold for future practical applications.

Synthesis of a cerium-based nanomaterial with superior oxidase-like activity for colorimetric determination of glutathione in food samples

Enzyme-like nanomaterials have received significant attention for their high stability and low cost. However, most nanomaterials require complicated synthesis processes, limiting the range of their potential applications. In this study, a novel cerium-based nanomaterial was fabricated in a facile manner from a mixture of dipicolinic acid (DPA), guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP), and cerium acetate under ambient conditions. The obtained nanomaterial, designated as DPA-Ce-GMP, exhibited superior oxidase-like activity owing to the mixed valence (Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺) of cerium ions. DPA-Ce-GMP efficiently catalyzed the oxidation of 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), achieving a color reaction without requiring hydrogen peroxide. Thus, DPA-Ce-GMP was incorporated into a simple, rapid, and sensitive colorimetric sensor for glutathione (GSH) detection. Within this sensor, TMB oxidation is inhibited by the reducibility of GSH. The sensor exhibits a linear response over two concentration ranges (0.05-10 and 10-40 μM), and its detection limit is 17.1 nM (3σ/slope). The proposed sensor was successfully applied to GSH quantification in food samples. The developed sensor provides an efficient biomimic oxidase for GSH detection in real samples. Facile approach to prepare cerium-based nanomaterial with superior oxidase-like activity for colorimetric detection of glutathione in food samples.

Ultrasensitive Glutathione-Mediated Facile Split-Type Electrochemiluminescence Nanoswitch Sensing Platform

Seeking for an advanced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) platform is still an active and continuous theme in the ECL-sensing realm. This work outlines a femtomolar-level and highly selective glutathione (GSH) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) ECL assay strategy using a facile split-type gold nanocluster (AuNC) probe-based ECL platform. The system utilizes GSH as an efficient etching agent to turn on the MnO₂/AuNC-based ECL nanoswitch platform. This method successfully achieves an ultrasensitive detection of GSH, which significantly outperformed other sensors. Based on the above excellent results, GSH-related biological assays have been further established by taking ATP as a model. Combined with the high catalytic oxidation ability of DNAzyme, this ECL sensor can realize ATP assay as low as 1.4 fmol without other complicated exonuclease amplification strategies. Thus, we successfully achieved an ultrahigh sensitivity, extremely wide dynamic range, great simplicity, and strong anti-interference detection of ATP. In addition, the actual sample detection for GSH and ATP exhibits satisfactory results. We believe that our proposed high-performance platform will provide more possibilities for the detection of other GSH-related substances and show great prospect in disease diagnosis and biochemical research.

A novel artificial peroxisome candidate based on nanozyme with excellent catalytic performance for biosensing

Artificial peroxisome is of critical importance to supersede natural peroxisome in fabricating protocell system and disease treatment. Nevertheless, developing feasible artificial peroxisome with various stable functions remains a monumental challenge. Nanozyme with multiple enzyme-like activities can mimic natural enzymes in peroxisome, which make it a prospective candidate for artificial peroxisome design. Herein, we prepared a nanozyme with multiple peroxisomal-like activities - Pd nanoparticles functionalized nitrogen-doped porous carbon-reduced graphene oxide (PdNPs/N-PC-rGO). Due to its sandwich-like structure, the incorporation of N heteroatoms and the synergistic effect between PdNPs and N-PC-rGO bi-support, the PdNPs/N-PC-rGO exhibited triple peroxisomal-like activities including oxidase (OXD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), leading it a promising alternative for artificial peroxisome exploration. Furthermore, the PdNPs/N-PC-rGO showed high electrocatalytic activity, which could be employed for the detection of electrochemical active substances reduced glutathione (GSH). The PdNPs/N-PC-rGO modified electrode displayed a wide concentration range from 70 nM to 1500 μM, with a very low detection limit of 9.8 nM (S/N = 3). Therefore, PdNPs/N-PC-rGO was a promising nanozyme for various biotechnological applications such as artificial organelles, biosensing, cytoprotection, disease diagnosis and treatment.

Recent Advantages of Mediator Based Chemically Modified Electrodes; Powerful Approach in Electroanalytical Chemistry

Background:

Modified electrodes have advanced from the initial studies aimed at understanding electron transfer in films to applications in areas such as energy production and analytical chemistry. This review emphasizes the major classes of modified electrodes with mediators that are being explored for improving analytical methodology. Chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) have been widely used to counter the problems of poor sensitivity and selectivity faced in bare electrodes. We have briefly reviewed the organometallic and organic mediators that have been extensively employed to engineer adapted electrode surfaces for the detection of different compounds. Also, the characteristics of the materials that improve the electrocatalytic activity of the modified surfaces are discussed.

Objective:

Improvement and promotion of pragmatic CMEs have generated a diversity of novel and probable strong detection prospects for electroanalysis. While the capability of handling the chemical nature of the electrode/solution interface accurately and creatively increases , it is predictable that different mediators-based CMEs could be developed with electrocatalytic activity and completely new applications be advanced.

A photoelectrochemical sensor for glutathione based on Bi2S3-modified TiO2 nanotube arrays

A novel photoelectrochemical sensor for the determination of glutathione based on Bi2S3-modified TiO2 nanotube arrays. Under the excitation of visible light, glutathione can be oxidized by the holes created by the Bi2S3/TiO2 NTAs.

Electrochemical Detection of Electrolytes Using a Solid-State Ion-Selective Electrode of Single-Piece Type Membrane

This study aimed to develop simple electrochemical electrodes for the fast detection of chloride, sodium and potassium ions in human serum. A flat thin-film gold electrode was used as the detection electrode for chloride ions; a single-piece type membrane based solid-state ion-selective electrode (ISE), which was formed by covering a flat thin-film gold electrode with a mixture of 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and ion-selective membrane (ISM), was developed for sodium and potassium ions detection. Through cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square-wave voltammetry (SWV), the detection data can be obtained within two minutes. The linear detection ranges in the standard samples of chloride, sodium, and potassium ions were 25-200 mM, 50-200 mM, and 2-10 mM, with the average relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.79%, 1.65%, and 0.47% and the average recovery rates of 101%, 100% and 96%, respectively. Interference experiments with Na+, K+, Cl-, Ca2+, and Mg2+ ions demonstrated that the proposed detection electrodes have good selectivity. Moreover, the proposed detection electrodes have characteristics such as the ability to be prepared under relatively simple process conditions, excellent detection sensitivity, and low RSD, and the detection linear range is suitable for the Cl-, Na+ and K+ concentrations in human serum.

A DNA Based Biosensor Amplified With ZIF-8/Ionic Liquid Composite for Determination of Mitoxantrone Anticancer Drug: An Experimental/Docking Investigation

An ultrasensitive DNA electrochemical biosensor based on the carbon paste electrode (CPE) amplified with ZIF-8 and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate (BMIMS) was fabricated in this research. The DNA/BMIMS/ZIF-8/CPE was used for the selective determination of a mitoxantrone anticancer drug in aqueous solution, resulting in a good catalytic effect and a powerful ability for determining mitoxantrone. Also, the interaction of the mitoxantrone anticancer drug with guanine bases of ds-DNA was used as a powerful strategy in the suggested biosensor, which was confirmed with docking investigation. Docking study of mitoxantrone into the ds-DNA sequence showed the intercalative binding mode of mitoxantrone into the nitrogenous-based pairs of ds-DNA. The effective factors such as ds-DNA concentration, temperature, buffer types, and incubation time were also optimized for the fabricated mitoxantrone biosensor. The results showed that, under optimum conditions (T = 25°C; incubation time=12 min; pH= 4.8 acetate buffer solution and [DNA] = 50 mg/L), the DNA/BMIMS/ZIF-8/CPE could be used in mitoxantrone assay in a concentration ranging from 8.0 nM to 110 μM with a detection limit of 3.0 nM. In addition, recovery data between 99.18 and 102.08% were obtained for the determination of mitoxantrone in the injection samples using DNA/ZIF-8/BMIMF/CPE as powerful biosensors.

Graphene-family materials in electrochemical aptasensors

The study of graphene-based carbon nanocomposites has remarkably increased in recent years. Functionalized graphene-based nanostructures, including graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide, have great potential as new innovative electrode materials in the fabrication of novel electrochemical sensors. Electrochemical sensors based on aptamers attracted great attention because of their high sensitivity and selectivity, and simple instrumentation, as well as low production cost. Aptamers as a potent alternative to antibodies are functional nucleic acids with a high tendency to specific analytes. Electrochemical aptasensors show specific recognition ability for a wide range of analytes. Although aptamers are selected in vitro in contrast to antibodies, they are interesting due to advantages like high stability, easy chemical modifications, and the potential to be employed in nanostructured device fabrication or electrochemical sensing devices. Recently, new nanomaterials have shown a significant impact on the production of electrochemical sensors with high efficiency and performance. This review aims to give an outline of electrochemical aptasensors based on the graphene family materials and discuss the detection mechanism in this type of aptasensors. The present review summarizes some of the recent achievements in graphene-based aptasensors and includes their recent electroanalytical applications. Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract.

NiO/SWCNTs coupled with an ionic liquid composite for amplified carbon paste electrode; A feasible approach for improving sensing ability of adrenalone and folic acid in dosage form

Electrochemical sensors have shown great appeal for the simultaneous analysis of pharmaceutical compounds. In this way, the presence study described first electroanalytical sensor for simultaneous determination of adrenalone and folic acid. The two-amplified voltammetric sensor was developed by modifying carbon paste electrode (CPE) with NiO/SWCNTs composite and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate (1B3MIMS) and used for simultaneous determination of adrenalone and folic acid. The NiO/SWCNTs was synthesised by a fast and low-cost precipitation strategy and then characterised by EDS, FESEM and XRD methods. The results confirmed a particle size range of ⁓ 26.93-33.87 nm for NiO nanoparticle decorated at SWCNTs. The cyclic voltammetric investigation showed that oxidation potentials of adrenalone and folic acid depend on changing the pH value. The maximum oxidation current for the simultaneous analysis of two compounds occurred at pH = 7.0. In this condition, the sensor showed linear dynamic range 0.01-400 μM and 0.3-350 μM for determination of adrenalone and folic acid, respectively. The NiO/SWCNTs/1B3MIMS/CPE was then used as an ultrasensitive electroanalytical sensor for determination of adrenalone and folic acid in injection samples with recovery ratio between 98.2-103.66 %.

Evaluation of Pt,Pd-Doped, NiO-Decorated, Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube-Ionic Liquid Carbon Paste Chemically Modified Electrode: An Ultrasensitive Anticancer Drug Sensor for the Determination of Daunorubicin in the Presence of Tamoxifen

Measuring the concentration of anticancer drugs in pharmacological and biological samples is a very useful solution to investigate the effectiveness of these drugs in the chemotherapy process. A Pt,Pd-doped, NiO-decorated SWCNTs (Pt,Pd-NiO/SWCNTs) nanocomposite was synthesized using a one-pot procedure and combining chemical precipitation and ultrasonic sonochemical methods and subsequently characterized by TEM and EDS analysis methods. The analyses results showed the high purity and good distribution of elements and the ~10-nm diameter of the Pt,Pd-NiO nanoparticle decorated on the surface of the SWCNTs with a diameter of about 20-30 nm. Using a combination of Pt,Pd-NiO/SWCNTs and 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (1B23DTFB) in a carbon paste (CP) matrix, Pt,Pd-NiO/SWCNTs/1B23DTFB/CP was fabricated as a highly sensitive analytical tool for the electrochemical determination of daunorubicin in the concentration range of 0.008-350 μM with a detection limit of 3.0 nM. Compared to unmodified CP electrodes, the electro-oxidation process of daunorubicin has undergone significant improvements in current (about 9.8 times increasing in current) and potential (about 110 mV) decreasing in potential). It is noteworthy that the designed sensor can well measure daunorubicin in the presence of tamoxifen (two breast anticancer drugs with a ΔE = 315 mV. According to the real sample analysis data, the Pt,Pd-NiO/SWCNTs/1B23DTFB/CP has proved to be a promising methodology for the analysis and measuring of daunorubicin and tamoxifen in real (e.g., pharmaceutical) samples.

Bright-yellow-emissive nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots as a fluorescent nanoprobe for the straightforward detection of glutathione in food samples

In this work, a novel yellow-emissive nanoprobe was for the first time developed for the fast detection of glutathione (GSH) based on nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (N-CNDs) prepared via hydrothermal heating of o-Phenylenediamine. The N-CNDs and GSH could form non-fluorescent complex via static interaction, resulting in the fluorescence quenching of N-CNDs. Under optimal conditions, the N-CNDs served as a fluorescent nanoprobe for GSH sensing in a straightforward way with high selectivity and sensitivity. Two good linear responses were found for GSH detection in concentration ranges of 0.1-1.0 μM and 1.0-220.0 μM, respectively. The corresponding detection limits are as low as 0.059 μM and 5.54 μM, respectively. Meanwhile, the proposed sensing system was successfully applied for GSH determination in vegetable and fruit samples with high accuracy. This work highlights the detection of GSH in a simple, fast, cost-effective, selective and ultrasensitive way, which paves a new way for other food quality monitoring.

Ultrasensitive electroanalytical sulfisoxazole sensors amplified with Pd-doped ZnO nanoparticles and modified with 1-hexyl-3-methyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide

In this study, an electrochemical sensor has been introduced by incorporating Pd-doped ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO–Pd/NPs) into a carbon paste (CP) matrix amplified by a conductive binder (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (1H3MIBTMSI), in this case) to determine the concentration of the sulfisoxazole (SFX) drug in urine, tablet, and pharmaceutical wastewater samples.

Overview and recent advances in electrochemical sensing of glutathione - A review

The present paper is aimed at providing an overview of the recent advances in the electrochemical sensing of glutathione (GSH), an important electrochemically and biologically active molecule, for the period 2012-2018. Herein, the analytical performances of newly developed electrochemical methods, procedures and protocols for GSH sensing are comprehensively and critically discussed with respect to the type of method, electrodes used (new electrode modifications, advanced materials and formats), sample matrices, and basic validation parameters obtained (limit of detection, linear dynamic range, precision, selectivity/evaluation of interferences). This paper considers electrochemical methods used alone as well as the hyphenated methods with electrochemical detection (ECD), such as HPLC-ECD or CE-ECD. The practical applicability of the platforms developed for GSH detection and quantification is mostly focused on pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis. The most significant electrochemical approaches for GSH detection in multicomponent analyte samples and multicomponent matrices and for real-time in vivo GSH analysis are highlighted. The great variability in the electrochemical techniques, electrode approaches, and obtainable performance parameters, discussed in this review, brought new insights not only on current GSH and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) determinations, but, along with this, on the advances in electrochemical analysis from a more general point of view.

A three-dimensional electrochemical paper-based analytical device for low-cost diagnostics

Paper-based microfluidic devices with screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) for electrochemical sensing are popular for low-cost point-of-care diagnostics. The electroactive sensing area in these devices is always the irregular, bottom-SPE surface which is in contact with the analyte flowing within the paper substrate. Unfortunately, this results in an electroactive area which varies widely from sensor to sensor. In this paper, we present a three-dimensional paper-based analytical device with a hollow 3D fluid reservoir which allows for use of a more uniform top-SPE surface as the electroactive sensing area. The use of this isolated reservoir eliminates the need for dielectric inks used in conventional SPEs on paper. Our sensors are fabricated using a combination of wax-printing, screen-printing and simple folding via a cleanroom free process without the need for expensive equipment. Additionally, for the first time, we demonstrate an electrochemical paper-based analytical device with a custom designed potentiostat integrated circuit (IC) as a miniaturized reader. The versatility of the sensor is demonstrated through voltammetric, amperometric and potentiometric measurements of important biochemical analytes such as dopamine, glucose and pH. The 3D ePAD together with a custom CMOS potentiostat demonstrates a low-cost, versatile, self-contained system suitable for point-of-care diagnostic devices.

Poly(glycine)/graphene oxide modified glassy carbon electrode: Preparation, characterization and simultaneous electrochemical determination of dopamine, uric acid, guanine and adenine

A novel poly(glycine) (p-GLY)/graphene oxide (GO) composite based sensor (p-GLY/GO) was successfully prepared on glassy carbon electrode by simple electropolymerization. Electrochemical responses of analytes on p-GLY/GO modified electrode were studied by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The results demonstrated that p-GLY/GO modified electrode showed a favorable application for the simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA), uric acid (UA), guanine (GU) and adenine (AD). Owing to the synergistic effect of p-GLY and GO, the oxidation peaks of four analytes separated well from each other, and the potential separations of oxidation peaks of DA-UA, UA-GU and GU-AD were large up to 170, 350 and 300 mV, respectively. As-prepared p-GLY/GO modified electrode offered wide linear responses for DA, UA, GU and AD over the ranges of 0.20-62, 0.10-105, 0.15-48 and 0.090-103 μM with detection limits of 0.011, 0.061, 0.026 and 0.030 μM (S/N = 3), respectively. Moreover, p-GLY/GO modified electrode presented favorable selectivity, stability and reproducibility, which was a promising candidate as an electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous determination of DA, UA, GU and AD.

60Co γ-ray Irradiation Crosslinking of Chitosan/Graphene Oxide Composite Film: Swelling, Thermal Stability, Mechanical, and Antibacterial Properties

In this paper, chitosan (CS)/graphene oxide (GO) composite films were prepared, and the effect of γ-ray irradiation on the properties of composite films was investigated. The irradiation crosslinking reaction occurred in composite films with the existence of acetic acid, and the properties changed upon the various irradiation dose. The swelling degree of the composite film with 0 wt % GO decreased with the increasing of the irradiation dose, but the swelling degree of which with GO increased instead. The thermal stability increased with the increasing of the irradiation dose, but the effect of the irradiation on the thermal stability weakened as the increasing of the content of GO, due to the enhanced irradiation resistance performance. The tensile strength increased firstly and decreased subsequently with the increasing of the irradiation dose and the content of GO. Composite films showed the enhanced antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, compared to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The antibacterial activity weakened with the increasing of the content of GO. The antibacterial activity was relatively stronger when the irradiation dose was 20 KGy. In addition, the structural, crystal, and morphological properties of composite films were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, and SEM. It is worth noting that the GO was pre-functionalized via KH560 for the better compatibility with CS matrix.