Halogen mediated voltammetric oxidation of biological thiols and disulfides

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.

Nanoparticle-based colorimetric sensors to detect neurodegenerative disease biomarkers

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) are progressive, incurable health conditions that primarily affect brain cells, and result in loss of brain mass and impaired function. Current sensing technologies for NDD detection are limited by high cost, long sample preparation, and/or require skilled personnel. To overcome these limitations, optical sensors, specifically colorimetric sensors, have garnered increasing attention towards the development of a cost-effective, simple, and rapid alternative approach. In this review, we evaluate colorimetric sensing strategies of NDD biomarkers (e.g. proteins, neurotransmitters, bio-thiols, and sulfide), address the limitations and challenges of optical sensor technologies, and provide our outlook on the future of this field.

Evaluation of the Cadmium Accumulation in Tamarillo Cells (Solanum betaceum) by Indirect Electrochemical Detection of Cysteine-Rich Peptides

Long-term cadmium intake can be very dangerous to human health due to its toxic effects. Although people can be contaminated with this element from different sources, contaminated food is probably the most important one. Foods such as vegetables and fruits can become contaminated with cadmium existing in soils, irrigation water, or chemical fertilizers. Some plants produce an excess of cysteine-rich peptides (CRp) when affected by high concentrations of heavy metals such as cadmium, thus indicating the presence of this type of contamination. Among these plants is tamarillo (Solanum betaceum), which is locally known as “tree tomato”. This is a native plant widely consumed in the Ecuadorian Andes because of its abundance, low cost, and high content of vitamin C and fiber. The fact that Solanum betaceum produces CRp upon contamination with heavy metals means that this plant may be able to accumulate heavy metals. If this is the case, the plant can possibly be used as an indicator of metal pollution. The main goals of the present work were to evaluate the possibility of using Solanum betaceum as an indicator of metal contamination in plants and to examine its capability to accumulate metals. Both goals were met by determination of the amounts of CRp produced by Solanum betaceum cells cultivated in vitro in the laboratory under controlled conditions in the presence of different concentrations of cadmium. The CRp determination was carried out by means of electrogeneration of iodine in an iodide solution containing reduced glutathione as a biological thiol model. Solanum betaceum cells were grown in a Murashige and Skoog solution enriched with a 30 g L⁻¹ sugar aqueous solution and 1 mg L⁻¹ 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. The results of these experiments confirmed the following: (1) CRp production is a function of the amount of cadmium present as a contaminant up to a limiting value after which cell apoptosis occurs; (2) Solanum betaceum accumulates cadmium; (3) the analytical method used is appropriate for CRp determination; and (4) CRp determination is a valid alternative to detect contamination by heavy metals in plants.

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.

Tuning and Probing the Distribution of Cu+ and Cu2+ Trap States Responsible for Broad-Band Photoluminescence in CuInS2 Nanocrystals

The processes that govern radiative recombination in ternary CuInS₂ (CIS) nanocrystals (NCs) have been heavily debated, but recently, several research groups have come to the same conclusion that a photoexcited electron recombines with a localized hole on a Cu-related trap state. Furthermore, it has been observed that single CIS NCs display narrower photoluminescence (PL) line widths than the ensemble, which led to the conclusion that within the ensemble there is a distribution of Cu-related trap states responsible for PL. In this work, we probe this trap-state distribution with in situ photoluminescence spectroelectrochemistry. We find that Cu²⁺ states result in individual "dark" nanocrystals, whereas Cu⁺ states result in "bright" NCs. Furthermore, we show that we can tune the PL position, intensity, and line width in a cyclic fashion by injecting or removing electrons from the trap-state distribution, thereby converting a subset of "dark" Cu²⁺ containing NCs into "bright" Cu⁺ containing NCs and vice versa. The electrochemical injection of electrons results in brightening, broadening, and a red shift of the PL, in line with the activation of a broad distribution of "dark" NCs (Cu²⁺ states) into "bright" NCs (Cu⁺ states) and a rise of the Fermi level within the ensemble trap-state distribution. The opposite trend is observed for electrochemical oxidation of Cu⁺ states into Cu²⁺. Our work shows that there is a direct correlation between the line width of the ensemble Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ trap-state distribution and the characteristic broad-band PL feature of CIS NCs and between Cu²⁺ cations in the photoexcited state (bright) and in the electrochemically oxidized ground state (dark).

Selective Screening of Biological Thiols by Means of an Unreported Magenta Interaction and Evaluation Using Smartphones

The determination of biological thiols is considered to be of great interest because of the participation of these molecules in physiological disorders as indicators of their existence and progress, such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and cystic fibrosis, among others. Optical techniques for the quantification of these analytes are superior to other techniques in terms of selectivity, sensitivity, and cost. We describe here a simple protocol to determine biological thiols by means of a colorimetric analysis based on a magenta color interaction with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). This methodology leverages the technology developed in smartphones, and it can be transferred to a simple analytical procedure through the use of absorbent strips and a cell phone. Excellent characteristics were observed, and this method opens up alternative avenues for the detection of biological thiols in a very simple and portable manner.

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

A sensitive electrochemical sensor based on the synergistic effect of 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and graphene oxide (GO) for low-potential amperometric detection of reduced glutathione (GSH) in pH 7.2 phosphate buffer solution (PBS) has been reported. This is the first time that the combination of GO and TCNQ have been successfully employed to construct an electrochemical sensor for the detection of glutathione. The surface of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified by a drop casting using TCNQ and GO. Cyclic voltammetric measurements showed that TCNQ and GO triggered a synergistic effect and exhibited an unexpected electrocatalytic activity towards GSH oxidation, compared to GCE modified with only GO, TCNQ or TCNQ/electrochemically reduced GO. Three oxidation waves for GSH were found at -0.05, 0.1 and 0.5V, respectively. Amperometric techniques were employed to detect GSH sensitively using a GCE modified with TCNQ/GO at -0.05V. The electrochemical sensor showed a wide linear range from 0.25 to 124.3μM and 124.3μM to 1.67mM with a limit of detection of 0.15μM. The electroanalytical sensor was successfully applied towards the detection of GSH in an eye drop solution.

Electrochemical bromination of organosulfur containing species for the determination of the strength of garlic (A. sativum)

The extraction by ethyl acetate and subsequent electrochemical detection of organosulfur containing molecules from garlic is demonstrated. The electrochemical results first evidence the high sensitivity of the process towards the model compound propyl disulfide. Through the in situ formation of bromine at a platinum electrode the propyl disulfide can be readily detected at concentrations as low as 12.5 μM. Second, the work focuses on the detection of organosulfur from fresh garlic samples. Extraction of the organosulfur 'flavour' molecules is achieved with ethyl acetate. Addition of this extract to the electrochemical cell results in an analytically useful signal allowing the voltammetric peak height to be successfully correlated with the garlic strength, as measured using an organoleptic tasting panel.