Indium Tin Oxide devices for amperometric detection of vesicular release by single cells

Methodologies for Detecting Quantal Exocytosis in Adrenal Chromaffin Cells Through Diamond-Based MEAs

Diamond-based multiarray sensors are suitable to detect in real-time exocytosis and action potentials from cultured, spontaneously firing chromaffin cells, primary hippocampal neurons, and midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Here, we focus on how amperometric measurements of catecholamine release are performed on micrographitic diamond multiarrays (μG-D-MEAs) with high temporal and spatial resolution by 16 electrodes simultaneously.

A Fluorescent False Neurotransmitter as a Dual Electrofluorescent Probe for Secretory Cell Models

A dual electrofluorescent probe (FFN42) belonging to the fluorescent false neurotransmitter family was rationally designed for investigating cell secretion. This probe, which comprises a coumarin core with one amino and two hydroxy groups, is very promising due to its electroactive and fluorescent properties. The optimal excitation and emission wavelengths (380 nm and 470 nm respectively) make this probe adapted for use in fluorescence microscopy. FFN42 has a quantum yield of 0.18, a molar absorption coefficient of 12000 M^-1 cm^-1 and pKa values of 5.4 and 6.7 for the hydroxy groups. The electroactivity of FFN42 was evidenced on carbon fiber and ITO electrodes at relatively low oxidation potentials (0.24 V and 0.45 V vs Ag/AgCl respectively). Epifluorescence observations showed that FFN42 accumulated into secretory vesicles of PC12 and N13 cells. Toxicity tests further revealed that FFN42 had no lethal effect on these cells. Amperometric data obtained on carbon fiber electrodes proved that the probe is released by N13 cells.

Coupling electrochemistry and TIRF-microscopy with the fluorescent false neurotransmitter FFN102 supports the fluorescence signals during single vesicle exocytosis detection

Applications of the Fluorescent False Neurotransmitter FFN102, an analog of biogenic neurotransmitters and a suitable probe for coupled amperometry and TIRFM (total internal reflexion fluorescence microscopy) investigations of exocytotic secretion, were considered here. The electroactivity of FFN102 was shown to very likely arise from the oxidation of its phenolic group through a CE (Chemical-Electrochemical) mechanism. Evidences that the aminoethyl group of FFN102 is the key recognition element by BON N13 cells were also provided. Amperometric measurements were then performed at the single cell level with carbon fiber electrode (CFE) or Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) surfaces. It proved the disparity of kinetic and quantitative parameters of FFN102-stained cells acquired either at cell top and bottom. Moreover, coupled analyses of FFN102 loaded vesicles allowed us to classify three types of optical signals that probably arise from secretion releases thanks to their concomitant detection with an electrochemical spike. Finally, preliminary benefits from the coupling involving FFN102 were reported in terms of origins of overlapped amperometric spikes or assignment of fluorescence extinctions to real exocytotic events.

Electrochemical measurement of quantal exocytosis using microchips

Carbon-fiber electrodes (CFEs) are the gold standard for quantifying the release of oxidizable neurotransmitters from single vesicles and single cells. Over the last 15 years, microfabricated devices have emerged as alternatives to CFEs that offer the possibility of higher throughput, subcellular spatial resolution of exocytosis, and integration with other techniques for probing exocytosis including microfluidic cell handling and solution exchange, optical imaging and stimulation, and electrophysiological recording and stimulation. Here we review progress in developing electrochemical electrode devices capable of resolving quantal exocytosis that are fabricated using photolithography.

Planar Diamond-Based Multiarrays to Monitor Neurotransmitter Release and Action Potential Firing: New Perspectives in Cellular Neuroscience

High biocompatibility, outstanding electrochemical responsiveness, inertness, and transparency make diamond-based multiarrays (DBMs) first-rate biosensors for in vitro detection of electrochemical and electrical signals from excitable cells together, with potential for in vivo applications as neural interfaces and prostheses. Here, we will review the electrochemical and physical properties of various DBMs and how these devices have been employed for recording released neurotransmitter molecules and all-or-none action potentials from living cells. Specifically, we will overview how DBMs can resolve localized exocytotic events from subcellular compartments using high-density microelectrode arrays (MEAs), or monitoring oxidizable neurotransmitter release from populations of cells in culture and tissue slices using low-density MEAs. Interfacing DBMs with excitable cells is currently leading to the promising opportunity of recording electrical signals as well as creating neuronal interfaces through the same device. Given the recent increasingly growing development of newly available DBMs of various geometries to monitor electrical activity and neurotransmitter release in a variety of excitable and neuronal tissues, the discussion will be limited to planar DBMs.

Vesicular exocytosis and microdevices - microelectrode arrays

Among all the analytical techniques capable of monitoring exocytosis in real time at the single cell level, electrochemistry (particularly amperometry at a constant potential) using ultramicroelectrodes has been demonstrated to be an important and convenient tool for more than two decades. Indeed, because the electrochemical sensor is located in the close vicinity of the emitting cell ("artificial synapse" configuration), much data can be gathered from the whole cell activity (secretion frequency) to the individual vesicular release (duration, fluxes or amount of molecules released) with an excellent sensitivity. However, such a single cell analysis and its intrinsic benefits are at the expense of the spatial resolution and/or the number of experiments. The quite recent development of microdevices/microsystems (and mainly the microelectrode arrays (MEAs)) offers in some way a complementary approach either by combining spectroscopy-microscopy or by implementing a multianalysis. Such developments are described and discussed in the present review over the 2005-2014 period.

All-carbon multi-electrode array for real-time in vitro measurements of oxidizable neurotransmitters

We report on the ion beam fabrication of all-carbon multi electrode arrays (MEAs) based on 16 graphitic micro-channels embedded in single-crystal diamond (SCD) substrates. The fabricated SCD-MEAs are systematically employed for the in vitro simultaneous amperometric detection of the secretory activity from populations of chromaffin cells, demonstrating a new sensing approach with respect to standard techniques. The biochemical stability and biocompatibility of the SCD-based device combined with the parallel recording of multi-electrodes array allow: i) a significant time saving in data collection during drug screening and/or pharmacological tests over a large number of cells, ii) the possibility of comparing altered cell functionality among cell populations, and iii) the repeatition of acquisition runs over many cycles with a fully non-toxic and chemically robust bio-sensitive substrate.

Carbon fiber ultramicrodic electrode electrodeposited with over-oxidized polypyrrole for amperometric detection of vesicular exocytosis from pheochromocytoma cell

Vesicular exocytosis is ubiquitous, but it is difficult to detect within the cells' communication mechanism. For this purpose, a 2 μm ultramicrodic carbon fiber electrode was fabricated in this work based on electrodeposition with over-oxidized polypyrrole nanoparticle (PPyox-CFE), which was applied successfully for real-time monitoring of quantal exocytosis from individual pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. PPyox-CFE was evaluated by dopamine (DA) solutions through cyclic voltammetry and amperometry electrochemical methods, and results revealed that PPyox-CFE improved the detection limit of DA. In particular, the sensitivity of DA was improved to 24.55 μA·μM⁻¹·μm⁻² using the PPyox-CFE. The ultramicrodic electrode combined with the patch-clamp system was used to detect vesicular exocytosis of DA from individual PC12 cells with 60 mM K⁺ stimulation. A total of 287 spikes released from 7 PC12 cells were statistically analyzed. The current amplitude (I_max) and the released charge (Q) of the amperometric spikes from the DA release by a stimulated PC12 cell is 45.1 ± 12.5 pA and 0.18 ± 0.04 pC, respectively. Furthermore, on average ∼562,000 molecules were released in each vesicular exocytosis. PPyox-CFE, with its capability of detecting vesicular exocytosis, has potential application in neuron communication research.

Development and characterization of a diamond-insulated graphitic multi electrode array realized with ion beam lithography

The detection of quantal exocytic events from neurons and neuroendocrine cells is a challenging task in neuroscience. One of the most promising platforms for the development of a new generation of biosensors is diamond, due to its biocompatibility, transparency and chemical inertness. Moreover, the electrical properties of diamond can be turned from a perfect insulator into a conductive material (resistivity ∼mΩ·cm) by exploiting the metastable nature of this allotropic form of carbon. A 16-channels MEA (Multi Electrode Array) suitable for cell culture growing has been fabricated by means of ion implantation. A focused 1.2 MeV He⁺ beam was scanned on a IIa single-crystal diamond sample (4.5 × 4.5 × 0.5 mm³) to cause highly damaged sub-superficial structures that were defined with micrometric spatial resolution. After implantation, the sample was annealed. This process provides the conversion of the sub-superficial highly damaged regions to a graphitic phase embedded in a highly insulating diamond matrix. Thanks to a three-dimensional masking technique, the endpoints of the sub-superficial channels emerge in contact with the sample surface, therefore being available as sensing electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry and amperometry measurements of solutions with increasing concentrations of adrenaline were performed to characterize the biosensor sensitivity. The reported results demonstrate that this new type of biosensor is suitable for in vitro detection of catecholamine release.

Microchannel conductivity measurements in microchip for on line monitoring of dephosphorylation rates of organic phosphates using paramagnetic-beads linked alkaline phosphatase

This paper presents the use of polymer coated microelectrodes for the realtime conductivity monitoring in a microchannel photoablated through the polymer without contact. Based on this strategy, a small conductometry sensor has been developed to record in time conductivity variation when an enzymatic reaction occurs through the channel. The rate constant determination, k2, for the dephosphorylation of organic phosphate-alkaline phosphatase-superparamagnetic beads complex using chemically different substrates such as adenosine monoesterphosphate, adenosine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate was taken as an example to demonstrate selectivity and sensivity of the detection scheme. The k2 value measured for each adenosine phosphate decreases from 39 to 30 s(-1) in proportion with the number (3, 2 and 1) of attached phosphate moiety, thus emphasizing the steric hindrance effect on kinetics.

Actin controls the vesicular fraction of dopamine released during extended kiss and run exocytosis

The effect of latrunculin A, an inhibitor of actin cross-linking, on exocytosis in PC12 cells was investigated with single cell amperometry. This analysis strongly suggests that the actin cytoskeleton might be involved in regulating exocytosis, especially by mediating the constriction of the pore. In an extended kiss-and-run release mode, actin could actually control the fraction of neurotransmitters released by the vesicle. This scaffold appears to contribute, with the lipid membrane and the protein machinery, to the closing dynamics of the pore, in competition with other forces mediating the opening of the exocytotic channel.

Evaluating the diffusion coefficient of dopamine at the cell surface during amperometric detection: disk vs ring microelectrodes

During exocytosis, small quantities of neurotransmitters are released by the cell. These neurotransmitters can be detected quantitatively using electrochemical methods, principally with disk carbon fiber microelectrode amperometry. An exocytotic event then results in the recording of a current peak whose characteristic features are directly related to the mechanisms of exocytosis. We have compared two exocytotic peak populations obtained from PC12 cells with a disk carbon fiber microelectrode and with a pyrolyzed carbon ring microelectrode array, with a 500 nm ring thickness. The specific shape of the ring electrode allows for precise analysis of diffusion processes at the vicinity of the cell membrane. Peaks obtained with a ring microelectrode array show a distorted average shape, owing to increased diffusion pathways. This result has been used to evaluate the diffusion coefficient of dopamine at the surface of a cell, which is up to an order of magnitude smaller than that measured in free buffer. The lower rate of diffusion is discussed as resulting from interactions with the glycocalyx.

Individually addressable thin-film ultramicroelectrode array for spatial measurements of single vesicle release

Thin-film platinum ultramicroelectrode arrays (MEAs) with subcellular microelectrodes were developed for the spatial measurement of neurotransmitter release across single cells or clusters of single cells. MEAs consisting of 16, 25, and 36 square ultramicroelectrodes with respective widths of 4, 3, and 2 μm were fabricated on glass substrates by photolithography, thin-film deposition, and reactive ion etching. The electrodes in each MEA are tightly defined in a 30 μm × 30 μm square, which is potentially useful to measure exocytosis across a single cell or clusters of single cells. These MEAs have been characterized with scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry and show excellent stability and reproducibility. Culturing PC12 cells on top of the MEAs has been achieved by modifying the array with a poly(dimethylsiloxane) chamber and coating a thin layer of collagen IV on top of the electrode surface. The electrochemical response to dopamine has been characterized after coating the surface with the cell-adhering molecules and then with cells attached. Amperometric detection demonstrates that individual exocytotic events can be recorded at these arrays with spatial resolution for dynamic electrochemical measurements near 2 μm. In contrast to previous single-cell experiments, the effect of dopaminergic drugs on imaging single vesicle exocytotic release from PC12 cell clusters is presented at cell clusters incubated with the dopamine precursor and Parkinson's therapy agent, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, and at cell clusters incubated with the vesicular monoamine transport inhibitor, reserpine. The results of electrochemical imaging demonstrate that the drug effect on PC12 cell clusters is consistent with previous single-cell experiments.

Amperometric noise at thin film band electrodes

Background current noise is often a significant limitation when using constant-potential amperometry for biosensor application such as amperometric recordings of transmitter release from single cells through exocytosis. In this paper, we fabricated thin-film electrodes of gold and conductive polymers and measured the current noise in physiological buffer solution for a wide range of different electrode areas. The noise measurements could be modeled by an analytical expression, representing the electrochemical cell as a resistor and capacitor in series. The studies revealed three domains; for electrodes with low capacitance, the amplifier noise dominated, for electrodes with large capacitances, the noise from the resistance of the electrochemical cell was dominant, while in the intermediate region, the current noise scaled with electrode capacitance. The experimental results and the model presented here can be used for choosing an electrode material and dimensions and when designing chip-based devices for low-noise current measurements.