Sol–gel derived metal dispersed ceramic–graphite composite electrode for amperometric determination of dopamine

Nafion-coated cadmium pentacyanonitrosylferrate-modified glassy carbon electrode for detection of dopamine in biological samples

Introduction: Dopamine is one of the key neurotransmitters (NTs) in nature, which plays a crucial role in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Its selective determination in the biological fluids is an essential need in the field of biomedicine studies.

Methods: In this work, an amperometric sensor was developed using Nafion-coated cadmium pentacyanonitrosylferrate (CdPCNF) modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode (Nafion|CdPCNF|GC electrode) as an electrocatalyst to detect dopamine (DA) in human serum samples. To develop this sensor, the surface of bare GC electrode was coated with the film of CdPCNF through an electropolymerization method and then the modified electrode was coated with Nafion to minimize interferences, especially those arising from the presence of anionic compounds. The electrocatalytic behavior of the modified electrodes was studied using the cyclic voltammetry and amperometry, and then the ability of the sensor for the determination of DA in synthetic and biological samples was investigated.

Results: The modified electrode was showed a significant electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of DA at pH 7.4. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.7 µM and also no interference effects arose from ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA) or the other biological NTs was observed in the DA detection using the modified Nafion|CdPCNF|GC electrode.

Conclusion: In comparison with the bare electrode, the Nafion|CdPCNF|GC electrode could determine DA in the biological samples with adequate sensitivity and selectivity. Therefore, we propose that the modified electrode is utilizable as an amperometric DA sensor for the biological sample analysis.

Sol-gel deposition of iridium oxide for biomedical micro-devices

Flexible iridium oxide (IrOx)-based micro-electrodes were fabricated on flexible polyimide substrates using a sol-gel deposition process for utilization as integrated pseudo-reference electrodes for bio-electrochemical sensing applications. The fabrication method yields reliable miniature on-probe IrOx electrodes with long lifetime, high stability and repeatability. Such sensors can be used for long-term measurements. Various dimensions of sol-gel iridium oxide electrodes including 1 mm × 1 mm, 500 µm × 500 µm, and 100 µm × 100 µm were fabricated. Sensor longevity and pH dependence were investigated by immersing the electrodes in hydrochloric acid, fetal bovine serum (FBS), and sodium hydroxide solutions for 30 days. Less pH dependent responses, compared to IrOx electrodes fabricated by electrochemical deposition processes, were measured at 58.8 ± 0.4 mV/pH, 53.8 ± 1.3 mV/pH and 48 ± 0.6 mV/pH, respectively. The on-probe IrOx pseudo-reference electrodes were utilized for dopamine sensing. The baseline responses of the sensors were higher than the one using an external Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Using IrOx reference electrodes integrated on the same probe with working electrodes eliminated the use of cytotoxic Ag/AgCl reference electrode without loss in sensitivity. This enables employing such sensors in long-term recording of concentrations of neurotransmitters in central nervous systems of animals and humans.

Synthesis of palladium/helical carbon nanofiber hybrid nanostructures and their application for hydrogen peroxide and glucose detection

We report on a novel sensing platform for H2O2 and glucose based on immobilization of palladium-helical carbon nanofiber (Pd-HCNF) hybrid nanostructures and glucose oxidase (GOx) with Nafion on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). HCNFs were synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition process on a C60-supported Pd catalyst. Pd-HCNF nanocomposites were prepared by a one-step reduction free method in dimethylformamide (DMF). The prepared materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The Nafion/Pd-HCNF/GCE sensor exhibits excellent electrocatalytic sensitivity toward H2O2 (315 mA M(-1) cm(-2)) as probed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry. We show that Pd-HCNF-modified electrodes significantly reduce the overpotential and enhance the electron transfer rate. A linear range from 5.0 μM to 2.1 mM with a detection limit of 3.0 μM (based on the S/N = 3) and good reproducibility were obtained. Furthermore, a sensing platform for glucose was prepared by immobilizing the Pd-HCNFs and glucose oxidase (GOx) with Nafion on a glassy carbon electrode. The resulting biosensor exhibits a good response to glucose with a wide linear range (0.06-6.0 mM) with a detection limit of 0.03 mM and a sensitivity of 13 mA M(-1) cm(-2). We show that small size and homogeneous distribution of the Pd nanoparticles in combination with good conductivity and large surface area of the HCNFs lead to a H2O2 and glucose sensing platform that performs in the top range of the herein reported sensor platforms.

Electrocatalytic oxidation of dopamine at an ionic liquid modified carbon paste electrode and its analytical application

A room-temperature ionic liquid N-butylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate was used as a binder to construct an ionic liquid modified carbon paste electrode, which was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The ionic liquid carbon paste electrode (IL-CPE) showed enhanced electrochemical response and strong analytical activity towards the electrochemical oxidation of dopamine (DA). A pair of well-defined quasireversible redox peaks of DA appeared, with the redox peaks located at 215 mV (E (pa)) and 151 mV (E (pc)) (vs. the saturated calomel electrode, SCE) in pH 6.0 phosphate buffer solution. The formal potential (E (0')) was calculated as 183 mV (vs. SCE) and the peak-to-peak separation as 64 mV. The electrochemical behavior of DA on the IL-CPE was carefully investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the anodic peak currents increased linearly with the concentration of DA in the range 1.0 x 10(-6)-8.0 x 10(-4) mol/L and the detection limit was calculated as 7.0 x 10(-7) mol/L (3sigma). The interferences of foreign substances were investigated and the proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of DA injection samples. The IL-CPE fabricated was sensitive, selective and showed good ability to distinguish the coexisting ascorbic acid and uric acid.

Surface plasmon resonance biosensor for dopamine using D3 dopamine receptor as a biorecognition molecule

In modern biomedical technology, development of high performance sensing methods for dopamine (DA) is a critical issue because of its vital role in human metabolism. We report here, a new kind of bioaffinity sensor for DA based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) using a D(3) dopamine receptor (DA-RC) as a recognition element. A conjugate of DA was synthesized using bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein and was characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The biosensor surface was constructed by the immobilization of the DA-BSA conjugate onto an SPR gold surface by physical adsorption. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations revealed that the DA-BSA conjugate was homogeneously distributed over the sensor surface. Specific interaction of the DA-RC with the immobilized DA-BSA conjugate was studied by SPR. Based on the principle of indirect competitive inhibition, the biosensor could detect DA in a linear dynamic range from 85 pg/ml (ppt) to 700 ng/ml (ppb). The biosensor was highly specific for DA and showed no significant interference from potent interferences such as ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA) and other DA analogues viz., 3,4 dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid (DOPAC) and 3-(3,4 dihydroxyphenyl)-alanine (DOPA). The sensor surface displayed a high level of stability during repeated regeneration and affinity reaction cycles. Since this biosensor is simple, effective and is based on utilization of natural receptor, our study presents an encouraging scope for development of portable detection systems for in-vitro and in-vivo measurement of DA in clinical and medical diagnostics.

Electrochemical detection of phenolic compounds using cylindrical carbon-ink electrodes and microchip capillary electrophoresis

A simple method to fabricate cylindrical carbon electrodes for use in capillary electrophoresis (CE) microchips is described. The electrodes were fabricated using a metallic wire coated with carbon ink. Several experimental variables were studied in order to establish the best conditions to fabricate the electrode. Finally, the electrodes were integrated in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchip and used for the analysis of phenolic compounds. Using the optimum conditions, the analysis of a mixture of dopamine, epinephrine, catechol, and 4-aminophenol was achieved in less than 240 s, showing good linear responses (R(2)=0.999) in the 0.1-190 microM range, and limits of detection (without the use of stacking or a decoupler) of 140 and 105 nM for dopamine and epinephrine, respectively.

Amperometric sensor for the determination of ascorbic acid based on Cobalt hexacyanoferrate modified electrode fabricated through a new route

A new approach was attempted to prepare a chemically modified electrode using Cobalt hexacyanoferrate (CoHCF) as the redox mediator and to study its stability and electrocatalytic activity for ascorbic acid (AA) oxidation. The basic principle underlying the electrode modification is the coordination of cobalt ion with the amino nitrogen of aniline adsorbed on the surface of a graphite rod. This surface was subsequently derivatized with ferrocyanide to get CoHCF film on the electrode surface. The CoHCF modified electrode as prepared above was characterized using cyclic voltammetry. The effect of scan rate, supporting electrolyte and pH of the medium on the performance of the modified electrode was investigated. The CoHCF modified electrode exhibited good electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of ascorbic acid and gave a linear response from 5.52 x 10(-5) M to 3.23 x 10(-2) M with a correlation coefficient of 0.9929. The detection limit was found to be 3.33 x 10(-5) M. Hydrodynamic voltammetry and chronoamperometry studies for the oxidation of ascorbic acid were also carried out. The electrode was highly stable and exhibited good reproducibility. This modified electrode was also applied for the determination of ascorbic acid in commercial samples.

Simultaneous Determination of Dopamine and Carvedilol in Human Serum and Urine by First-order Derivative Fluorometry

A sensitive and selective method for simultaneous determination of carvedilol and dopamine was described. The emission wavelengths of carvedilol and dopamine were at 354 nm and 314 nm with the excitation at 290 nm, respectively. The determination of carvedilol and dopamine by normal fluorometry was difficult because the emission spectra of carvedilol and dopamine were overlapped seriously. The first derivative peaks of carvedilol and dopamine were at 336 nm and 302 nm, respectively. The linear regression equations of the calibration graphs of carvedilol and dopamine were C = 0.000557H-0.00569 and C = 0.00438H-0.0812, with the correlation coefficients were 0.9953 and 0.9988, respectively. The liner range for the determination of carvedilol was 0.002 microg ml(-1) to 0.02 microg ml(-1), and 0.05 microg ml(-1) to 0.6 microg ml(-1) for dopamine. The detection limits were 1 ng ml(-1) for carvedilol and 0.04 microg ml(-1) for dopamine, respectively. The relative standard derivative (RSD) of 4.38% and 4.35% was observed for carvedilol and dopamine, respectively. The recovery of carvedilol was from 95.00% to 106.7% in human serum and from 97.50% to 105.0% in urine sample. The recovery of dopamine was from 100.0% to 102.5% in human serum and from 97.50% to 105.0% in urine sample. This method is simple and can be used for determination of carvedilol and dopamine in human serum and urine sample with satisfactory results.