A biomimetic phospholipid/alkanethiolate bilayer immobilizing uricase and an electron mediator on an Au electrode for amperometric determination of uric acid

Synthesis and self-assembly of thiol-modified tellurophenes

An asymmetric thiol-modified tellurophene was designed and synthesized, and the ability of the compound to form a monolayer on a gold electrode was confirmed. The surface-active tellurophene was synthesized using Cadiot–Chodkiewicz coupling followed by ring closing and thiol modification. The tellurophene compound forms a monolayer on gold surfaces from a concentrated solution within 24 h. The ability of the compound to conjugate to gold is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A surface blocking experiment was used to evaluate the extent of formation of a monolayer on a gold electrode.

Facile synthesis of Prussian blue nanocubes/silver nanowires network as a water-based ink for the direct screen-printed flexible biosensor chips

The large-scale fabrication of nanocomposite based biosensors is always a challenge in the technology commercialization from laboratory to industry. In order to address this issue, we have designed a facile chemical method of fabricated nanocomposite ink applied to the screen-printed biosensor chip. This ink can be derived in the water through the in-situ growth of Prussian blue nanocubes (PBNCs) on the silver nanowires (AgNWs) to construct a composite nanostructure by a facile chemical method. Then a miniature flexible biosensor chip was screen-printed by using the prepared nanocomposite ink. Due to the synergic effects of the large specific surface area, high conductivity and electrocatalytic activity from AgNWs and PBNCs, the as-prepared biosensor chip exhibited a fast response (<3s)， a wider linear response from 0.01 to 1.3mM with an ultralow LOD=5µm, and the ultrahigh sensitivities of 131.31 and 481.20µAmM^-1cm^-2 for the detections of glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), respectively. Furthermore, the biosensor chip exhibited excellent stability, good reproducibility and high anti-interference ability towards physiological substances under a very low working potential of -0.05. Hence, the proposed biosensor chip also showed a promising potential for the application in practical analysis.

Redox-functionalized graphene oxide architecture for the development of amperometric biosensing platform

We describe the redox functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) and the development of versatile amperometric biosensing platforms for clinically important analytes such as cholesterol ester, uric acid and glucose. Ferrocene (Fc) redox units were covalently tethered onto the GO backbone using diamine sigma spacers of different chain lengths (C3-, C6-, and C9-diamines). The functionalized GO (Fc-GO) displays a pair of redox peak corresponding to Fc/Fc(+) redox couple at ~0.225 V. The surface coverage and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant of Fc-GO depends on the length of sigma spacer. Amperometric biosensors for cholesterol (total), uric acid and glucose have been developed by integrating Fc-GO and the respective redox enzymes with screen printed electrode. Fc-GO efficiently mediates the bioelectrocatalytic oxidation of the substrates in the presence of the redox enzymes. The spacer length of Fc-GO controls the bioelectrocatalytic response of the biosensing platforms. The sensitivity of the biosensors based on C9 sigma spacer is significantly higher than the others. The detection limit (S/N = 3) of the biosensors for cholesterol and uric acid was 0.1 μM and for glucose it was 1 μM. Excellent stability, reproducibility, selectivity and fast response time were achieved. Biosensing of cholesterol, uric acid and glucose in human serum sample is successfully demonstrated with the biosensors, and the results are validated with the clinical laboratory measurement.

Simultaneous determination of tryptophan, uric acid and ascorbic acid at iron(III) doped zeolite modified carbon paste electrode

A new chemically modified electrode is constructed based on iron(III) doped zeolite modified carbon paste electrode (Fe(3+)Y/ZCME). The electrode was evaluated as a sensor for sub-micromolar determination of tryptophan (Trp), uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA) in aqueous solutions. The measurements were carried out by application of the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) method in phosphate buffer solution with pH 3.5. Iron(III) loaded in zeolite can increase anodic peak currents by adsorption of Trp, UA and AA on electrode surface The analytical performance was evaluated with respect to the carbon paste composition, pH of solution, accumulation time and accumulation potential. The prepared electrode shows voltammetric responses with high sensitivity and selectivity for Trp, UA and AA in optimal conditions, which makes it very suitable for simultaneous determination of these compounds. The linear calibration range for AA in the presence of 50 microM UA and 50 microMTrp was 0.6 microM to 100 microM, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992, and a detection limit of 0.21 microM (S/N=3). A linear relationship was found for UA in the range of 0.3-700 microM containing 10 microM AA and 50 microM Trp, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9990 and a detection limit of 0.08 microM. The linear calibration range for Trp in the presence of 10 microM AA and 50 microM UA was 0.2-150 microM, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996, and a detection limit of 0.06 microM. The proposed method was successfully applied for determination Trp, UA and AA in biological systems and pharmaceutical samples.

Electrochemical Sensors for Clinic Analysis

Demanded by modern medical diagnosis, advances in microfabrication technology have led to the development of fast, sensitive and selective electrochemical sensors for clinic analysis. This review addresses the principles behind electrochemical sensor design and fabrication, and introduces recent progress in the application of electrochemical sensors to analysis of clinical chemicals such as blood gases, electrolytes, metabolites, DNA and antibodies, including basic and applied research. Miniaturized commercial electrochemical biosensors will form the basis of inexpensive and easy to use devices for acquiring chemical information to bring sophisticated analytical capabilities to the non-specialist and general public alike in the future.

Mercaptoethylpyrazine promoted electrochemistry of redox protein and amperometric biosensing of uric acid

Electrochemistry of microperoxidase-11 (MPx-11) anchored on the mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 2-(2-mercaptoethylpyrazine) (PET) and 4,4'-dithiodibutyric acid (DTB) on gold (Au) electrode and the biosensing of uric acid (UA) is described. MPx-11 has been covalently anchored on the mixed SAM of PET and DTB on Au electrode. MPx-11 on the mixed self-assembly exhibits reversible redox response characteristic of a surface confined species. The heterocyclic ring of PET promotes the electron transfer between the electrode and the redox protein. The apparent standard rate constant kapps obtained for the redox reaction of MPx-11 on the mixed monolayer is approximately 2.15 times higher than that on the single monolayer of DTB modified electrode. MPx-11 efficiently mediates the electrocatalytic reduction of H2O2. MPx-11 electrode is highly sensitive to H2O2 and it shows linear response for a wide concentration range. The electrocatalytic activity of the MPx-11 electrode is combined with the enzymatic activity of uricase (UOx) to fabricate uric acid biosensor. The bienzyme assembly is highly sensitive towards UA and it could detect UA as low as 2 microM at the potential of -0.1 V. The biosensor shows linear response with a sensitivity of 3.4+/-0.08 nA cm(-2) microM(-1). Ascorbate (AA) and paracetamol (PA) do not significantly interfere in the amperometric sensing of UA.

An amperometric uric acid biosensor based on modified Ir–C electrode

The level of uric acid (UA) has a high relationship with gout, hyperuricemia and Lesch-Nyan syndrome. The determination of UA is an important indicator for clinics and diagnoses of kidney failure. An amperometric UA biosensor based on an Ir-modified carbon (Ir-C) working electrode with immobilizing uricase (EC 1.7.3.3) was developed by thick film screen printing technique. This is the first time to report the utilization of an uricase/Ir-C electrode for the determination of UA by using chronoamperometric (CA) method. The high selectivity of UA biosensor was achieved due to the reduction of H(2)O(2) oxidation potential based on Ir-C electrode. Using uricase/Ir-C as the sensing electrode, the interference from the electroactive biological species, such as ascorbic acid (AA) and UA (might be directly oxidized on the sensing electrode) was slight at the sensing potential of 0.25 V (versus Ag/AgCl). UA was detected amperometrically based on uricase/Ir-C electrode with a sensitivity of 16.60 microAmM(-1) over the concentration range of 0.1-0.8 mMUA, which was within the normal range in blood. The detection limit of UA biosensor was 0.01 mM (S/N=6.18) in pH 7 phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at 37 degrees C. The effects of pH, temperature, and enzymatic loading on the sensing characteristics of the UA biosensor were also investigated in this study.

Determination of Copper(II) by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry at a 2,5-Dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol Self-assembled Monolayer-based Gold Electrode

2,5-Dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol (DMTD) can bind on the surface of a gold electrode through the strong gold-sulfur interaction. The fabrication and electrochemical characteristics of the DMTD self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-modified gold electrode were investigated. The DMTD SAM electrode exhibited a significantly increased sensitivity. Cu(II) was accumulated in phosphate buffer (pH 4.6) at a potential of -0.6 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for 40 s and then determined by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) in copper-free phosphate buffer (pH 5.0). The effects of various parameters, such as the pH values of the preconcentration solution and measurement solution, the accumulation potential, and the accumulation time, were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, a linear calibration graph was obtained in the concentration range of 8.0 x 10(-6) to 8.0 x 10(-5) mol l(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9978. The relative standard deviations for eight successive determinations were 4.3 and 2.9% for 1.0 x 10(-5) and 2.0 x 10(-5) mol l(-1) Cu(II), respectively. The detection limit (three times signal to noise) was 4.0 x 10(-7) mol l(-1). The proposed voltammetric method was utilized successfully to detect the concentration of Cu(II) ions in tap water samples.

Self-assembled biomimetic monolayers using phospholipid-containing disulfides

Several phospholipid-based disulfide molecules were synthesized and attached onto the gold-coated silicon wafer using the self-assembling method. The syntheses of these surface-modifying agents were conducted by introducing bromoethylphosphorate (PBr), phosphorylcholine (PC) or phosphorylethanolamine (PE) groups on the terminals of a dialkyl disulfide. After disulfides adsorption onto gold substrate surfaces, the composition, the film thickness, and the conformational order of self-assembled monolayer surfaces were explored and discussed in detail based on reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and so on. The monolayer having the PBr end group could also be converted to a PC surface by treating with trimethylamine. The model functional surfaces of Au-SC11-PC, -PE, -PBr, -OH or corresponding mixed layers were used to mimic biomembrane surfaces. The monolayer having PC groups was found to reduce fibrinogen adsorption as evaluated from protein adsorption experiments using quartz crystal microbalance. It also showed relatively low platelet adherence compare to the glass, PBr and PE surfaces. The cell viability test also revealed that the PC surface displayed lower cytotoxicity than other surfaces.

A selective voltammetric method for uric acid detection at beta-cyclodextrin modified electrode incorporating carbon nanotubes

A beta-cyclodextrin-coated electrode incorporating carbon nanotubes was constructed and applied to the detection of uric acid in the presence of high concentration of ascorbic acid. The major obstacle of the overlapped oxidation potential of ascorbic acid was overcome owing to the distinct ability of the carbon nanotubes-modified electrode to yield a large anodic peak difference ca. 400 mV. The sensitive detection of uric acid has been further improved by the formation of a supramolecular complex between beta-cyclodextrin and uric acid. A linear calibration curve was obtained for 5 x 10(-7) to 5 x 10(-5) M in 0.2 M HAc-NaAc buffer (pH 4.5) with correlation coefficient of 0.998 and detection limit of 0.2 microM. The practical analytical application was illustrated by a selective measurement of uric acid in human urine without any preliminary treatment.

Urine analysis by laser Raman spectroscopy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

We examine the use of Raman spectroscopy to analyze components in human urine.

STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS

Targeted urine components include urea, uric acid, and creatinine.

RESULTS

Urea concentration in urine is sufficiently high that normal Raman spectroscopy may be used for its analysis. All other components are in low concentrations requiring the use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic methods (SERS).

CONCLUSIONS

Both normal Raman and SERS approaches have been investigated for total urine-nitrogen determination, urine urea-nitrogen determination, and for the urea/creatinine excretion ratio.

Electroanalytical applications of cationic self-assembled monolayers: square-wave voltammetric determination of dopamine and ascorbate

Gold electrodes modified with cationic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 2,2'-dithiobisethaneamine (CYST) and 6,6'-dithiobishexaneamine (DTH) were used for the simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA) and ascorbate (AA). The cationic SAM modified electrodes have several advantages over the bare electrode for the oxidation of AA. A very large (approximately 450 mV) decrease in the overpotential for the oxidation of AA when compared with the bare electrode has been observed at the cationic monolayer-modified electrode. The electrostatic interaction of negatively charged AA with the monolayer shift the oxidation peak potential of AA to less positive potential and enhances the peak current. On the other hand, the positively charged DA is repelled from the monolayer and the oxidation potential shifts to more positive potential when compared to the bare electrode. The electrochemical oxidation of AA at the mixed monolayer of CYST and diethyl disulfide (DEDS) supports the influence of cationic terminal group of the monolayer on the oxidation of AA. Since the oxidation of AA occurs well before the oxidation potential of DA is reached, the homogeneous catalytic oxidation of AA by the oxidized DA has been advantageously eliminated at the monolayer-modified electrode. The cationic self-assembled monolayers successfully detect DA in the presence of high concentration of AA. The sensitivity of the electrode modified with CYST monolayer was found to be 0.036 and 0.021 microA/microM towards AA and DA, respectively.

Microfabricated electrophoresis chips for simultaneous bioassays of glucose, uric acid, ascorbic acid, and acetaminophen

A micromachined capillary electrophoresis chip is described for simultaneous measurements of glucose, ascorbic acid, acetaminophen, and uric acid. Fluid control is used to mix the sample and enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx). The enzymatic reaction, a catalyzed aerobic oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide, occurs along the separation channel. The enzymatically liberated neutral peroxide species is separated electrophoretically from the anionic uric and ascorbic acids in the separation/reaction channel. The three oxidizable species are detected at the downstream gold-coated thick-film amperometric detector at different migration times. Glucose can be detected within less than 100 s, and detection of all electroactive constituents is carried out within 4 min. Measurements of glucose in the presence of acetaminophen, a neutral compound, are accomplished by comparing the responses in the presence and absence of GOx in the running buffer. The reproducibility of the on-chip glucose measurements is improved greatly by using uric acid as an internal standard. Factors influencing the performance, including the GOx concentration, field strength, and detection potential, are optimized. Such coupling of enzymatic assays with electrophoretic separations on a microchip platform holds great promise for rapid testing of metabolites (such as glucose or lactate), as well as for the introduction of high-speed clinical microanalyzers based on multichannel chips.