High-throughput synthesis and electrochemical screening of a library of modified electrodes for NADH oxidation

Increasing the π-Expansive Ligands in Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Evaluation for Photodynamic Therapy Applications

Lack of selectivity is one of the main issues with currently used chemotherapies, causing damage not only to altered cells but also to healthy cells. Over the last decades, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has increased as a promising therapeutic tool due to its potential to treat diseases like cancer or bacterial infections with a high spatiotemporal control. Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl compounds are gaining attention for their application as photosensitizers (PSs) since they are generally nontoxic in dark conditions, while they show remarkable toxicity after light irradiation. In this work, four Ru(II) polypyridyl compounds with sterically expansive ligands were studied as PDT agents. The Ru(II) complexes were synthesized using an alternative route to those described in the literature, which resulted in an improvement of the synthesis yields. Solid-state structures of compounds [Ru(DIP)2phen]Cl2 and [Ru(dppz)2phen](PF6)2 have also been obtained. It is well-known that compound [Ru(dppz)(phen)2]Cl2 binds to DNA by intercalation. Therefore, we used [Ru(dppz)2phen]Cl2 as a model for DNA interaction studies, showing that it stabilized two different sequences of duplex DNA. Most of the synthesized Ru(II) derivatives showed very promising singlet oxygen quantum yields, together with noteworthy photocytotoxic properties against two different cancer cell lines, with IC50 in the micro- or even nanomolar range (0.06-7 μM). Confocal microscopy studies showed that [Ru(DIP)2phen]Cl2 and [Ru(DIP)2TAP]Cl2 accumulate preferentially in mitochondria, while no mitochondrial internalization was observed for the other compounds. Although [Ru(dppn)2phen](PF6)2 did not accumulate in mitochondria, it interestingly triggered an impairment in mitochondrial respiration after light irradiation. Among others, [Ru(dppn)2phen](PF6)2 stands out for its very good IC50 values, correlated with a very high singlet oxygen quantum yield and mitochondrial respiration disruption.

Electrochemical Sensors Based on the Electropolymerized Natural Phenolic Antioxidants and Their Analytical Application

The design and fabrication of novel electrochemical sensors with high analytical and operational characteristics are one of the sustainable trends in modern analytical chemistry. Polymeric film formation by the electropolymerization of suitable monomers is one of the methods of sensors fabrication. Among a wide range of the substances able to polymerize, the phenolic ones are of theoretical and practical interest. The attention is focused on the sensors based on the electropolymerized natural phenolic antioxidants and their analytical application. The typical electropolymerization reaction schemes are discussed. Phenol electropolymerization leads to insulating coverage formation. Therefore, a combination of electropolymerized natural phenolic antioxidants and carbon nanomaterials as modifiers is of special interest. Carbon nanomaterials provide conductivity and a high working surface area of the electrode, while the polymeric film properties affect the selectivity and sensitivity of the sensor response for the target analyte or the group of structurally related compounds. The possibility of guided changes in the electrochemical response for the improvement of target compounds' analytical characteristics has appeared. The analytical capabilities of sensors based on electropolymerized natural phenolic antioxidants and their future development in this field are discussed.

Nanoliter scale electrochemistry of natural and engineered electroactive bacteria

Bacterial extracellular electron transfer (EET) is envisioned for use in applied biotechnologies, necessitating electrochemical characterization of natural and engineered electroactive biofilms under conditions similar to the target application, including small-scale biosensing or biosynthesis platforms, which is often distinct from standard 100 mL-scale stirred-batch bioelectrochemical test platforms used in the laboratory. Here, we adapted an eight chamber, nanoliter volume (500 nL) electrochemical flow cell to grow biofilms of both natural (Biocathode MCL community, Marinobacter atlanticus, and Shewanella oneidensis MR1) or genetically modified (S. oneidensis ΔMtr and S. oneidensis ΔMtr + pLB2) electroactive bacteria on electrodes held at a constant potential. Maximum current density achieved by unmodified strains was similar between the nano- and milliliter-scale reactors. However, S. oneidensis biofilms engineered to activate EET upon exposure to 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) produced current at wild-type levels in the stirred-batch reactor, but not in the nanoliter flow cell. We hypothesize this was due to differences in mass transport of DAPG, naturally-produced soluble redox mediators, and oxygen between the two reactor types. Results presented here demonstrate, for the first time, nanoliter scale chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry of a range of electroactive bacteria in a three-electrode reactor system towards development of miniaturized, and potentially high throughput, bioelectrochemical platforms.

Microfluidic screening system based on boron-doped diamond electrodes and dielectrophoretic sorting for directed evolution of NAD(P)-dependent oxidoreductases

We report the development of a micro total analysis system (μTAS) based on electrochemical measurements and dielectrophoretic sorting for screening of NAD(P)-dependent oxidoreductases. In this system, the activity of enzymes immobilized on microbeads, together with their encoding DNA, can be measured with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode in each compartment (∼30 nL) of the microfluidic system. The 30 nL droplets containing microbead-displayed genes of enzymes with higher activity can then be recovered by dielectrophoretic sorting. Previously, we developed the NAD(P)H-measuring device containing the BDD electrode for high-throughput measurement of the activity of NAD(P)-dependent oxidoreductases. In this study, we fabricated an encapsulating device and a droplet-sorting device for nanoliter-size droplets, for the first time, and then combined these three devices to construct a μTAS for directed evolution of NAD(P)-dependent oxidoreductases. We confirmed that this system works by proof-of-principle experiments and successfully applied this system for screening of randomized libraries of NAD-dependent dehydrogenases.

Experimental and theoretical studies of electrochemical oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide at the modified SWCNT and graphene oxide

In recent years, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and its oxidized form (NAD⁺) have withdrawn a substantial attention since they possess a significant place in both biosensor and biofuel cell studies. However, the transformation of NADH to NAD⁺ brings about the surface passivation and fouling at the most of corresponding conductive materials; consequently, significant decrease takes place in the current. In order to overcome these drawbacks, we have performed the surface functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and graphene oxide (GO) immobilized onto glassy carbon surface with dihydroxybenzene (di-HB) using solid-phase synthesis methodology. The di-HB-modified SWCNT and GO were found to exhibit great catalytic activity as they reduce required overpotential of electrochemical oxidation of NADH and lead to enhancement in the peak current, compared with unmodified carbon electrodes. Molecular docking simulation technique was also carried out to enlighten attained experimental findings in detail, and we have found that increase in the binding affinity of NAD⁺ to functionalized carbon surfaces with di-HB is related to formation of hydrogen bonding interactions Furthermore, our experimental and theoretical outputs were also found to be quite consistent in terms of reactivity of modified surfaces to NADH oxidation.

Directed Evolution of a Bacterial Laccase (CueO) for Enzymatic Biofuel Cells

Escherichia coli's copper efflux oxidase (CueO) has rarely been employed in the cathodic compartment of enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) due to its low redox potential (0.36 V vs. Ag/AgCl, pH 5.5) towards O₂ reduction. Herein, directed evolution of CueO towards a more positive onset potential was performed in an electrochemical screening system. An improved CueO variant (D439T/L502K) was obtained with a significantly increased onset potential (0.54 V), comparable to that of high-redox-potential fungal laccases. Upon coupling with an anodic compartment, the EBFC exhibited an open-circuit voltage (V_oc ) of 0.56 V. Directed enzyme evolution by tailoring enzymes to application conditions in EBFCs has been validated and might, in combination with molecular understanding, enable future breakthroughs in EBFC performance.

The nature of the rate-limiting step of blue multicopper oxidases: Homogeneous studies versus heterogeneous

Multicopper oxidases (MCOs) catalyzed two half reactions (linked by an intramolecular electron transfer) through a Ping-Pong mechanism: the substrate oxidation followed by the O₂ reduction. MCOs have been characterized in details in solution or immobilized on electrode surfaces. The nature of the rate-limiting steps, which is controversial in the literature, is discussed in this mini review for both cases. Deciphering such rate-limiting steps is of particular importance to efficiently use MCOs in any applications requiring the reduction of O₂ to water.

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Limiting rate constant of multicopper oxidase in solution is discussed.

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Limiting rate constant of immobilized multicopper oxidase is discussed.

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Homogeneous and heterogeneous enzyme kinetics are compared.

Synergistic effect of pyrroloquinoline quinone and graphene nano-interface for facile fabrication of sensitive NADH biosensor

A self-assembly composite of graphene-pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) was fabricated and modified on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for sensitive detection of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). Chitosan (CTS) was applied to disperse graphene to form a stable robust film on GCE. A synergistic effect between PQQ and graphene was observed during the electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH, with about 260mV reduction in the oxidation potential and 2.5-fold increase in the oxidation current compared with those on the bare GCE. The electrochemical sensors based on the modified electrodes allowed the detection of NADH with a good linear dependence from 0.32 to 220µM with a high sensitivity of 0.421µAµM^-1cm^-2 and a low detection limit of 0.16µM (S/N=3). It could also eliminate the interference of electroactive substances like ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid, and dopamine and its derivatives. The outstanding performances of graphene-PQQ/CTS composite capable of improving the electrical conductivity and accelerating the electron transport suggested its promising applications for design of different graphene based composites used in electrochemical sensing and energy fields.

Quinone-Catalyzed Selective Oxidation of Organic Molecules

Quinones are common stoichiometric reagents in organic chemistry. Para-quinones with high reduction potentials, such as DDQ and chloranil, are widely used and typically promote hydride abstraction. In recent years, many catalytic applications of these methods have been achieved by using transition metals, electrochemistry, or O2 to regenerate the oxidized quinone in situ. Complementary studies have led to the development of a different class of quinones that resemble the ortho-quinone cofactors in copper amine oxidases and mediate the efficient and selective aerobic and/or electrochemical dehydrogenation of amines. The latter reactions typically proceed by electrophilic transamination and/or addition-elimination reaction mechanisms, rather than hydride abstraction pathways. The collective observations show that the quinone structure has a significant influence on the reaction mechanism and has important implications for the development of new quinone reagents and quinone-catalyzed transformations.

Electrochemical behavior of the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand on a multiwalled carbon nanotube surface and its relevant electrochemistry for selective recognition of copper ion and hydrogen peroxide sensing

1,10-Phenanthroline (Phen) is a well-known benchmark ligand and has often been used in the coordination chemistry for the complexation of transition metal ions, such as Fe(2+), Ni(2+), and Co(2+). Because the electro-oxidation potential of Phen is much higher (>2 V versus Ag/AgCl) than the water decomposition potential, i.e., ∼1.5 V versus Ag/AgCl, in pH 7, it is practically difficult to electro-oxidize Phen in aqueous medium using any conventional electrodes, such as glassy carbon electrode (GCE), gold, and platinum. Interestingly, herein, we report an unexpected oxidation of Phen to a highly redox active 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (Phen-dione) and its confinement on a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE/MWCNT@Phen-dione) surface by potential cycling of Phen-adsorbed GCE/MWCNT (GCE/MWCNT@Phen) from -1 to 1 V versus Ag/AgCl in pH 7 phosphate buffer solution. GCE/MWCNT@Phen-dione showed selective recognition of copper ion (GCE/MWCNT@Phen-dione-Cu(2+)) by catalyzing the hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction in a neutral pH solution. The precise structure of the Phen electro-oxidized product has been identified after characterizing the electrode and/or ethanolic extract of the product by various techniques, such as Raman, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) (for copper complex), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) (for copper complex), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) and comparing electrochemical behavior of several control compounds, such as phenanthrene and 9,10-phenanthrenequinone. It is concluded that the product formed is 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione, wherein the dione position is ortho to each other and the copper ion is complexed with nitrogen of the phenanthroline ring. With extended electrochemical oxidation of a structurally similar ligand, 2,2'-bipyridine failed to show any such electrochemical dynamics. Finally, applicability of GCE/MWCNT@Phen-dione-Cu(2+) for electrochemical sensing of hydrogen peroxide in a couple of real samples is successfully demonstrated.

Modular o-quinone catalyst system for dehydrogenation of tetrahydroquinolines under ambient conditions

Quinolines are common pharmacophores present in numerous FDA-approved pharmaceuticals and other bioactive compounds. Here, we report the design and development of new o-quinone-based catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of tetrahydroquinolines to afford quinolines. Use of a Co(salophen) cocatalyst allows the reaction to proceed efficiently with ambient air at room temperature. The utility of the catalytic method is demonstrated in the preparation of a number of medicinally relevant quinolines.

Electrochemical formation of an ultrathin electroactive film from 1,10-phenanthroline on a glassy carbon electrode in acidic electrolyte

The electrochemical reduction of 1,10-phenanthroline in aqueous acidic electrolyte at a glassy carbon electrode led to the covalent modification of the electrode. Thereafter, the deposited film can be switched to an electroactive form by electrochemical oxidation. An electroactive film can be also generated by alternate reductive and oxidative voltammetric cycling in a 1,10-phenanthroline/aqueous sulfuric acid solution. First, the electrochemical procedure for the formation of a film is presented. Second, the morphology and chemical structure of 1,10-phenanthroline coatings were investigated by atomic force microscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical techniques. The ultrathin (<15 nm) electrodeposited films consist of oligomeric species. The coatings deposited in alternate and/or continuous reductive and oxidative steps contain oxygen atoms incorporated into the oligomer backbone. The preliminary results point out the formation of a dione derivative that is responsible for the electroactivity of the grafted layer.

1,10-Phenanthroline-5,6-dione ethanol monosolvate

In the title compound, C₁₂H₆N₂O₂·C₂H₅OH, the mol­ecule of the 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione is approximately planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.051 (1) Å. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by O—H⋯N and weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming supra­molecular chains propagating along [110]. π–π stacking inter­actions are observed between the pyridine rings of neighbouring chains, the centroid–centroid separations being 3.6226 (11) and 3.7543 (11) Å.

Rapid electrochemical screening of NAD-dependent dehydrogenases in a 96-well format

The electrochemical detection of dehydrogenase activity in crude cell lysates is performed simultaneously using 96 carbon electrodes modified with electrografted phenazines. The method is applied to the screening of a library of formate dehydrogenase mutants obtained by directed evolution.