Recent developments in voltammetric and amperometric sensors for cysteine detection

Oxidation Analysis of l-Cysteine with a Chiral Sensor Based on Quantum Weak Measurement

l-Cysteine, distinguished by its possession of reactive sulfhydryl groups within its molecular structure, plays a significant role in both biological systems and the pharmaceutical industry. It stands not only as a natural component integral to the constitution of glutathione but also as the principal precursor for the synthesis of l-cystine through an oxidation reaction. This study endeavors to introduce a novel approach to l-cysteine analysis, capitalizing on its optical activity, whereby an optical rotation detection system grounded in the principles of quantum weak measurement is proffered. The optical rotation angle corresponding to the concentration of chiral solutions can be accurately ascertained through spectral analysis. In practical implementation, a chiral sensing system, boasting a sensitivity of 372 nm/rad, was meticulously constructed, leveraging the concept of weak value amplification. Then, the real-time monitoring of chemical reactions involving l-cysteine and dimethyl sulfoxide was performed. Under the specific experimental conditions outlined in this investigation, it was observed that the oxidation process culminated within approximately 12 h. The application of weak measurement-based chiral sensors holds immense potential, providing robust technical support for real-time monitoring in fields such as chiral analysis and the synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical compounds.

On-Off-On Fluorometric Detection of Hg(II) and L-Cysteine Using Red Emissive Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots for Environmental and Clinical Sample Analysis

This research introduces a novel fluorescence sensor 'on-off-on' employing nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) with an 'on-off-on' mechanism for the selective and sensitive detection of Hg(II) and L-cysteine (L-Cys). N-CDs was synthesized using citric acid as the carbon precursor and urea as the nitrogen source in dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent, resulting in red emissive characteristics under UV light. Comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, including UV-Vis, fluorescence, FT-IR, XRD, XPS, Raman, and Zeta potential techniques, validated the structural and optical characteristics of the synthesized N-CDs. The maximum excitation and emission of N-CDs were observed at 548 and 622 nm, respectively. The quantum yield of N-CDs was calculated to be 16.1%. The fluorescence of N-CDs effectively quenches upon the addition of Hg(II) due to the strong coordination between Hg(II) and the surface functionalities of N-CDs. Conversely, upon the subsequent addition of L-Cys, the fluorescence of N-CDs was restored. This restoration can be attributed to the stronger affinity of the -SH group in L-Cys towards Hg(II) relative to the surface functionalities of N-CDs. This dual-mode response enabled the detection of Hg(II) and L-Cys with impressive detection limits of 15.1 nM and 8.0 nM, respectively. This sensor methodology effectively detects Hg(II) in lake water samples and L-Cys levels in human urine, with a recovery range between 99 and 101%. Furthermore, the N-CDs demonstrated excellent stability, high sensitivity, and selectivity, making them a promising fluorescence on-off-on probe for both environmental monitoring of Hg(II) and clinical diagnostics of L-Cys.

Graphene nanocomposites for real-time electrochemical sensing of nitric oxide in biological systems

Nitric oxide (NO) signaling plays many pivotal roles impacting almost every organ function in mammalian physiology, most notably in cardiovascular homeostasis, inflammation, and neurological regulation. Consequently, the ability to make real-time and continuous measurements of NO is a prerequisite research tool to understand fundamental biology in health and disease. Despite considerable success in the electrochemical sensing of NO, challenges remain to optimize rapid and highly sensitive detection, without interference from other species, in both cultured cells and in vivo. Achieving these goals depends on the choice of electrode material and the electrode surface modification, with graphene nanostructures recently reported to enhance the electrocatalytic detection of NO. Due to its single-atom thickness, high specific surface area, and highest electron mobility, graphene holds promise for electrochemical sensing of NO with unprecedented sensitivity and specificity even at sub-nanomolar concentrations. The non-covalent functionalization of graphene through supermolecular interactions, including π-π stacking and electrostatic interaction, facilitates the successful immobilization of other high electrolytic materials and heme biomolecules on graphene while maintaining the structural integrity and morphology of graphene sheets. Such nanocomposites have been optimized for the highly sensitive and specific detection of NO under physiologically relevant conditions. In this review, we examine the building blocks of these graphene-based electrochemical sensors, including the conjugation of different electrolytic materials and biomolecules on graphene, and sensing mechanisms, by reflecting on the recent developments in materials and engineering for real-time detection of NO in biological systems.

Peroxidase-like activity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles for colorimetric detection of cysteine

Cysteine is one of the important amino acids that is involved in various physiological processes, food industries, pharmaceuticals, and personal care. It also serves as a biomarker for some diseases. The large use of cysteine necessitates rapid, cheap, and accurate determination of cysteine in a range of samples. Although many techniques have been employed for the detection of cysteine, they suffer from limitations that make them unsuitable for routine analysis. Here we report on a cheap colorimetric method using biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as nanozymes. The AgNPs were characterized by UV/visible spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The AgNPs exhibit peroxidase-like activity using o-phenylenediamine (OPD) as a chromogenic reagent. The low K_m values observed for OPD and H₂O₂ (0.9133 and 61.56 mM respectively) show strong affinity of the substrates to AgNPs. The peroxidase-like activity of AgNPs, however, was inhibited on the addition of cysteine. The results show that the absorption intensity of the oxidized OPD decreased linearly with the concentration of cysteine in the range of 0.5-20 μM. The limit of detection (LOD) in this linear range was found to be as low as 90.4 nM. The recovery from urine sample (spiked with cysteine) analyses demonstrated the feasibility of the method in real sample application. From our findings, we anticipate that our method can be applied for the analysis of cysteine in various samples.

Nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensors for detection of amino acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and muscle tissue. They also play a significant role in physiological processes related to energy, recovery, mood, muscle and brain function, fat burning and stimulating growth hormone or insulin secretion. Accurate determination of amino acids in biological fluids is necessary because any changes in their normal ranges in the body warn diseases like kidney disease, liver disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. To date, many methods such as liquid chromatography, fluorescence mass spectrometry, etc. have been used for the determination of amino acids. Compared with the above techniques, electrochemical systems using modified electrodes offer a rapid, accurate, cheap, real-time analytical path through simple operations with high selectivity and sensitivity. Nanomaterials have found many interests to create smart electrochemical sensors in different application fields e.g. biomedical, environmental, and food analysis because of their exceptional properties. This review summarizes recent advances in the development of nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensors in 2017-2022 for the detection of amino acids in various matrices such as serum, urine, blood and pharmaceuticals.

Recent Progress in Morphology-Tuned Nanomaterials for the Electrochemical Detection of Heavy Metals

Heavy metals are one of the most important classes of environmental pollutants which are toxic to living beings. Many efforts are made by scientists to fabricate better sensors for the identification and quantification of heavy metal ions (HMI) in water and food samples to ensure good health. Electrocatalysts have been demonstrated to play an important role in enhancing the sensitivity and selectivity of HMI detection in electrochemical sensors. In this review, we presented morphologically well-tuned nanomaterials used as efficient sensor materials. Based on the molecular dimensions, shapes, and orientation, nanomaterials can be classified into 0-D, 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D nanomaterials. Active surface areas with significant exposure of active sites and adsorption-desorption abilities are extensively varied with dimensionality, which in turn ultimately influence the sensing performance for HMI.

A novel nanocomposite (g-C3N4/Fe3O4@P2W15V3) with dual function in organic dyes degradation and cysteine sensing

Among the important needs of human societies is the elimination of environmental pollution and also the construction of high-performance and inexpensive biosensors. In this regard, the construction of multi-functional composites has been considered. A novel magnetic graphite carbon nitride decorated by tri-vanadium substituted Dawson-type heteropolytungstate nanocomposite (C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄@P₂W₁₅V₃) effectively synthesized and characterized by prevalent functional analysis. The prepared nano-catalyst presents bi-functional usage involving photocatalytic removal of dyes (methylene blue, congo red and phenyl red) (around 98%) under visible light radiation and greatly sensitive colorimetric sensing of cysteine in an aqueous media. Moreover, synthesized nano-catalyst successfully recovered five times without any considerable deficiency on its photocatalytic ability. Further, Moreover, we propose a novel method for cysteine detection based on the C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄@P₂W₁₅V₃ nanocomposite. This nanocomposite displayed a privileged catalytic feature for cysteine oxidation to extend a clock reaction of methylene blue as an indicator in the presence of NaBH₄ in acidic solution. More importantly, this colorimetric sensing method of cysteine presents an easy, low-cost, selective, and rapid colorimetric assay with a detection limit value of 7.2 μM in the acceptable linear range of 5-600 μM.

Smartphone-Based Multiplexed Biosensing Tools for Health Monitoring

Many emerging technologies have the potential to improve health care by providing more personalized approaches or early diagnostic methods. In this review, we cover smartphone-based multiplexed sensors as affordable and portable sensing platforms for point-of-care devices. Multiplexing has been gaining attention recently for clinical diagnosis considering certain diseases require analysis of complex biological networks instead of single-marker analysis. Smartphones offer tremendous possibilities for on-site detection analysis due to their portability, high accessibility, fast sample processing, and robust imaging capabilities. Straightforward digital analysis and convenient user interfaces support networked health care systems and individualized health monitoring. Detailed biomarker profiling provides fast and accurate analysis for disease diagnosis for limited sample volume collection. Here, multiplexed smartphone-based assays with optical and electrochemical components are covered. Possible wireless or wired communication actuators and portable and wearable sensing integration for various sensing applications are discussed. The crucial features and the weaknesses of these devices are critically evaluated.

Synthesis and Characterization of GO/ZIF-67 Nanocomposite: Investigation of Catalytic Activity for the Determination of Epinine in the Presence of Dobutamine

In this study, we prepared graphene oxide (GO)/ZIF-67 nanocomposites. Therefore, GO/ZIF-67 nanocomposites were used as a modifier on a screen-printed electrode (GO/ZIF-67/SPE) for studying the electrochemical behavior of epinine in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) at pH 7.0 with voltammetry techniques. The GO/ZIF-67/SPE showed greater electrocatalytic activities than the bare SPE. As a result, the GO/ZIF-67/SPE was utilized for additional electrochemical examinations. The epinine concentration determination was in the range 9.0 × 10-8 M to 5.0 × 10-4 M, and the limit of detection (LOD) as well as the limit of quantification (LOQ) equaled 2.0 and 6.6 nM, respectively. From the scan rate study, the oxidation of epinine was found to be diffusion-controlled, and the simultaneous detection of epinine and dobutamine were well achieved with the differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) technique. Moreover, the stability and reproducibility of epinine at the GO/ZIF-67/SPE was studied, and the use of the GO/ZIF-67/SPE to detect epinine and dobutamine in real samples was furthermore successfully demonstrated.

Advanced nanoengineered-customized point-of-care tools for prostate-specific antigen

Change in the level of human prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a major element in the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). Most of the methodologies are currently restricted to their application in routine clinical screening due to the scarcity of adequate screening tools, false reading, long assay time, and cost. Innovative techniques and the integration of knowledge from a variety of domains, such as materials science and engineering, are needed to provide sustainable solutions. The convergence of precision point-of-care (POC) diagnostic techniques, which allow patients to respond in real time to changes in PSA levels, provides promising possibilities for quantitative and quantitative detection of PSA. This solution could be interesting and relevant for use in PCa diagnosis at the POC. The approaches enable low-cost real-time detection and are simple to integrate into user-friendly sensor devices. This review focuses on the investigations, prospects, and challenges associated with integrating engineering sciences with cancer biology to develop nanotechnology-based tools for PCa diagnosis. This article intends to encourage the development of new nanomaterials to construct high-performance POC devices for PCa detection. Finally, the review concludes with closing remarks and a perspective forecast.

Development of L-cysteine sensor based on thallium oxide coupled multi-walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites with electrochemical approach

Here, Nanocomposites of thallium oxide doped multi-walled carbon nanotube (Tl2O.MWCNT NCs) were prepared by utilizing the wet-chemical method (WCM) in an alkaline phase at low temperature. Different optical procedures (FTIR: Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy, XRD: Powder X-ray diffraction, FESEM: Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, XEDS: X-ray Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy, TEM: Tunneling Electron Microscopy, and XPS: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) were used to fully characterize (Optical, structural, crystalline, morphological, and elemental etc.) of the prepared Tl2O.MWCNT NCs. Modification of the thin-layer with NCs onto glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is prepared and applied for the enzyme-free detection of selective and sensitive L-cysteine by electrochemical approach. Using a reliable current-voltage approach, analytical sensing indexes such as sensitivity, LDR, LOD, LOQ, durability, and interference were assessed by fabricated sensor probe (GCE/Tl2O.MWCNT NCs/CPM) in selective detection of L-cysteine in a room condition, whereas nafion was used as conducting polymer matrix (CPM) during the fabrication of GCE with NCs. L-cysteine calibration plot was found to be linear over an extensive range of concentration. The calibration curve was used to calculate the sensing parameters such as sensitivity (316.46 pAμM-1cm-2), LOD down to (~18.90 ± 1.89 pM), and LOQ (63.0 pM) of the prepared sensor. The use of a simple WCM to validate the Tl2O.MWCNT NCs is a good approach for developing a NCs-based sensor for enzyme-free biomolecule identification and detection in the biomedical and health care fields in a broad scale. This proposed sensor (GCE/Tl2O.MWCNT NCs/CPM) is used to detect selective L-cysteine in real biological samples such as human, mouse, and rabbit serum and found acceptable and satisfactory results.

Development of a Novel Benzimidazole-Based Probe and Portable Fluorimeter for the Detection of Cysteine in Human Urine

The measurement of cysteine in human urine and live cells is crucial for evaluating biological metabolism, monitoring and maintaining the immune system, preventing tissue/DNA damage caused by free radicals, preventing autoimmune diseases, and diagnosing disorders such as cystinuria and cancer. A method that uses a fluorescence turn-on probe and a portable fluorescence spectrometer device are crucial for highly sensitive, simple, rapid, and inexpensive cysteine detection. Herein, we present the synthesis and application of a benzimidazole-based fluorescent probe (ABIA) along with the design and development of a portable fluorescence spectrometer device (CysDDev) for detecting cysteine in simulated human urine. ABIA showed excellent selectivity and sensitivity in detecting cysteine over homocysteine, glutathione, and other amino acids with the response time of 1 min and demonstrated a detection limit of 16.3 nM using the developed CysDDev. Further, ABIA also demonstrated its utility in detecting intracellular cysteine, making it an excellent probe for bio-imaging assay.

Metal Nanoparticles and Carbon-Based Nanomaterials for Improved Performances of Electrochemical (Bio)Sensors with Biomedical Applications

Monitoring human health for early detection of disease conditions or health disorders is of major clinical importance for maintaining a healthy life. Sensors are small devices employed for qualitative and quantitative determination of various analytes by monitoring their properties using a certain transduction method. A "real-time" biosensor includes a biological recognition receptor (such as an antibody, enzyme, nucleic acid or whole cell) and a transducer to convert the biological binding event to a detectable signal, which is read out indicating both the presence and concentration of the analyte molecule. A wide range of specific analytes with biomedical significance at ultralow concentration can be sensitively detected. In nano(bio)sensors, nanoparticles (NPs) are incorporated into the (bio)sensor design by attachment to the suitably modified platforms. For this purpose, metal nanoparticles have many advantageous properties making them useful in the transducer component of the (bio)sensors. Gold, silver and platinum NPs have been the most popular ones, each form of these metallic NPs exhibiting special surface and interface features, which significantly improve the biocompatibility and transduction of the (bio)sensor compared to the same process in the absence of these NPs. This comprehensive review is focused on the main types of NPs used for electrochemical (bio)sensors design, especially screen-printed electrodes, with their specific medical application due to their improved analytical performances and miniaturized form. Other advantages such as supporting real-time decision and rapid manipulation are pointed out. A special attention is paid to carbon-based nanomaterials (especially carbon nanotubes and graphene), used by themselves or decorated with metal nanoparticles, with excellent features such as high surface area, excellent conductivity, effective catalytic properties and biocompatibility, which confer to these hybrid nanocomposites a wide biomedical applicability.

Highly active catalyst using zeolitic imidazolate framework derived nano-polyhedron for the electro-oxidation of l-cysteine and amperometric sensing

Herein, N-doped porous carbon nano-polyhedron embedded with Co₃O₄ (Co₃O₄-NPCN) was reported for the electro-catalytic oxidation and amperometric detection of l-cysteine. Co₃O₄-NPCN was synthesized by the two-step redox calcination of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF). Surface morphology characterization revealed that Co₃O₄-NPCN displayed a uniform size and rhombic dodecahedral shape. Structure and composition analysis found that Co₃O₄-NPCN was a N-doped carbon polyhedral matrix with hollow and porous structure, and Co₃O₄ nano-spheres were evenly distributed into the polyhedral matrix. Due to the hollow and porous structure, N-doped carbon matrix and embedded Co₃O₄ nano-spheres, Co₃O₄-NPCN performed a remarkable electro-catalysis towards the oxidation of l-cysteine at a very low potential of 0.10 V. A diffusion-controlled l-cysteine oxidation process was observed at Co₃O₄-NPCN prepared electrode. Accordingly, amperometric method was established for l-cysteine detection with a very fast current response in 2 s, wide linear range of 0.05 μM- 5.2 mM and low detection limit of 6.9 nM. Besides, notable selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility and long-term stability were also achieved. Moreover, Co₃O₄-NPCN sensor was successfully applied to the l-cysteine detection in human serum samples indicating the practical application of the as-developed sensor.

Nitrogen and Sulfur Co-Doped Graphene as Efficient Electrode Material for L-Cysteine Detection

Two graphene samples co-doped with nitrogen and sulfur were synthesized by the hydrothermal method using thiourea as doping and reducing agent for graphene oxide (GO). An appropriate amount of thiourea was added to the aqueous dispersion of GO, previously sonicated for 30 min. The mixture was poured into an autoclave and placed in the oven for 3 h, at 120 and 200 °C. The samples were denoted NSGr-120 and NSGr-200, respectively, in agreement with the reaction temperatures. They were next morphologically and structurally characterized by advanced techniques, such as SEM/TEM, XPS, XRD, and FTIR. According to XPS analysis, the NSGr-120 sample has higher amounts of heteroatoms in comparison with NSGr-200, indicating that the reaction temperature is a crucial factor that affects the doping degree. In order to reveal the influence of the doping degree on the electrochemical performances of graphene-modified electrodes, they were tested in solutions containing L-cysteine molecules. The electrode with the best electrocatalytic performances, GC/NSGr-120, was tested to detect L-cysteine in a pharmaceutical drug, proving its applicability in real sample analysis.