Molecularly imprinted hydroxyapatite thin film for bilirubin recognition

A novel piezoelectric sensor has been developed for bilirubin (BR) detection, based on the modification of molecularly imprinted hydroxyapatite (HAP) film onto a quartz crystal by molecular imprinting and surface sol-gel technique. The performance of the developed BR biosensor was evaluated and the results indicated that a sensitive BR biosensor could be fabricated. The obtained BR biosensor presents high-selectivity monitoring of BR, better reproducibility, shorter response time (37 min), wider linear range (0.05-80μM) and lower detection limit (0.01μM). The analytical application of the BR biosensor confirms the feasibility of BR detection in serum sample.     

Application of a quartz crystal nanobalance to the molecularly imprinted recognition of phenylalanine in solution

A quartz crystal nanobalance (QCN) biosensor was developed for the selective determination of phenylalanine (Phe) in aqueous solutions. A Phe imprinted copolymer was synthesized using polyacrylonitrile and acrylic acid [poly(AN-co-AA)]. The copolymer was then coated on quartz crystal electrode to form complementary structures for the template recognition of Phe. The composite electrode was then used to determine Phe levels in solution. Determinations were based on frequency shifts of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) modified quartz crystal electrode caused by Phe adsorption. The frequency shifts were linearly dependent on Phe concentration over the range 50∼500 mgL⁻¹. The results obtained show that the imprinted poly(AN-co-AA) modified biosensor had higher sensitivity (0.5839 Hz/mgL⁻¹) than a non-molecularly imprinted copolymer (0.2724 Hz/mgL⁻¹). Furthermore, good reproducibility, R.S.D. = 1.84% (n = 7) was observed, and the detection limit was 45 mgL⁻¹. The selectivity of the imprinted poly(AN-co-AA) modified biosensor was examined using a number of analytes similar to Phe, i.e., dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AscA), vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), uric acid (UA), tryptophan (Trp), and tyrosine (Tyr), and the results obtained showed a size dependent selective effect.     

Capillary-driven multiparametric microfluidic chips for one-step immunoassays

A new zinc oxide nanoparticles/chitosan/carboxylated multiwall carbonnanotube/polyaniline (ZnO-NPs/CHIT/c-MWCNT/PANI) composite film has been synthesized on platinum (Pt) electrode using electrochemical techniques. Three enzymes, creatinine amidohydrolase (CA), creatine amidinohydrolase (CI) and sarcosine oxidase (SO) were immobilized on ZnO-NPs/CHIT/c-MWCNT/PANI/Pt electrode to construct the creatinine biosensor. The enzyme electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The enzyme electrode detects creatinine level as low as 0.5 μM at a signal to noise ratio of 3 within 10s at pH 7.5 and 30°C. The fabricated creatinine biosensor showed linear working range of 10-650 μM creatinine with a sensitivity of 0.030 μA μM(-1)cm(-2). The biosensor shows only 15% loss of its initial response over a period of 120 days when stored at 4°C. The fabricated biosensor was successfully employed for determination of creatinine in human blood serum.     

Reductive determination of hydrogen peroxide with MWCNTs-Pd nanoparticles on a modified glassy carbon electrode

This paper introduces the use of multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with palladium (Pd) nanoparticles in the electrocatalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). We have developed and characterized a biosensor for H(2)O(2) based on Nafion(?) coated MWCNTs-Pd nanoparticles on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The Nafion(?)/MWCNTs-Pd/GCE electrode was easily prepared in a rapid and simple procedure, and its application improves sensitive determination of H(2)O(2). Characterization of the MWCNTs-Pd nanoparticle film was performed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometry (at an applied potential of -0.2V) measurements were used to study and optimize performance of the resulting peroxide biosensor. The proposed H(2)O(2) biosensor exhibited a wide linear range from 1.0 μM to 10 mM and a low detection limit of 0.3 μM (S/N=3), with a fast response time within 10s. Therefore, this biosensor could be a good candidate for H(2)O(2) analysis.     

High-performance electrochemical biosensor for the detection of total cholesterol

We report on a highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor for the determination of total cholesterol. The novel biosensor was fabricated by co-immobilizing three enzymes, cholesterol oxidase (ChO(x)), cholesterol esterase (ChE) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), on nanoporous gold networks directly grown on a titanium substrate (Ti/NPAu/ChO(x)-HRP-ChE). The morphology and composition of the fabricated nanoporous gold were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD). The electrochemical behaviour of the Ti/NPAu/ChO(x)-HRP-ChE biosensor was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), showing that the developed biosensor possessed high selectivity and high sensitivity (29.33 μA mM?1 cm?2). The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant, K(M)(app) of this biosensor was very low (0.64 mM), originating from the effective immobilization process and the nanoporous structure of the substrate. The biosensor exhibited a wide linear range up to 300 mg dL?1 in a physiological condition (pH 7.4), which makes it very promising for the clinical determination of cholesterol. The fabricated biosensor was further tested using real food samples margarine, butter and fish oil, showing that the biosensor has the potential to be used as a facile cholesterol detection tool in food and supplement quality control.     

Amperometric sulfide detection using Coprinus cinereus peroxidase immobilized on screen printed electrode in an enzyme inhibition based biosensor

In the present work, an amperometric inhibition biosensor for the determination of sulfide has been fabricated by immobilizing Coprinus cinereus peroxidase (CIP) on the surface of screen printed electrode (SPE). Chitosan/acrylamide was applied for immobilization of peroxidase on the working electrode. The amperometric measurement was performed at an applied potential of -150 mV versus Ag/AgCl with a scan rate of 100 mV in the presence of hydroquinone as electron mediator and 0.1M phosphate buffer solution of pH 6.5. The variables influencing the performance of sensor including the amount of substrate, mediator concentration and electrolyte pH were optimized. The determination of sulfide can be achieved in a linear range of 1.09-16.3 μM with a detection limit of 0.3 μM. Developed sensor showed quicker response to sulfide compared to the previous developed sulfide biosensors. Common anions and cations in environmental water did not interfere with sulfide detection by the developed biosensor. Cyanide interference on the enzyme inhibition caused 43.25% error in the calibration assay which is less than the amounts reported by previous studies. Because of high sensitivity and the low-cost of SPE, this inhibition biosensor can be successfully used for analysis of environmental water samples.     

A novel support for laccase immobilization: cellulose acetate modified with ionic liquid and application in biosensor for methyldopa detection

A material based on cellulose acetate (CA) and the room temperature ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BMI·N(Tf)(2)) was developed and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersive spectroscopy and infrared analysis. Laccase (Lac) from Aspergillus oryzae was immobilized in this material to investigate the behavior of methyldopa by square-wave voltammetry. Under optimized conditions, the Lac biosensor based on CA/BMI·N(Tf)(2) exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic performance: the analytical curve showed good linear range for methyldopa concentrations from 34.8 to 370.3 μM with a detection limit of 5.5 μM. This sensor demonstrated acceptable stability (ca. 60 days; at least 350 determinations), good repeatability and reproducibility (relative standard deviations of 1.5 and 4.3%, respectively). The recovery study of methyldopa in pharmaceutical formulations ranged from 94.1 to 105.9%. The determination of this substance using the biosensor compared favorably with that using a spectrophotometry procedure at the 95% confidence level, and indicated potential application to methyldopa determination in pharmaceutical samples.     

Development of a new kind of dual modulated QCM biosensor

To distinguish the mass loading effect from the total frequency change is a problem in the application of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor in the liquid phase. Based on the characteristic damping theory, this paper proposes a new method of dual modulation to solve this problem. Usingg polyethyleneimine to immobilize anti-SE (staphylococcin enterotoxin) antibody (C₂ type), a dual modulated QCM SE biosensor was developed and the experiment proved that it has little cross-reaction with B-type SE. The measuring curve of the sensor was also determined through experiment.     

Electrophoretic transfer protein zymography

A mixture of commercial creatinine amidohydrolase (CA), creatine amidinohydrolase (CI), and sarcosine oxidase (SO) was coimmobilized covalently via N-ethyl-N′-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxy succinimide (NHS) chemistry onto carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotube (c-MWCNT)/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite film electrodeposited over the surface of a platinum (Pt) electrode. A creatinine biosensor was fabricated using enzyme/c-MWCNT/PANI/Pt as working electrode, Ag/AgCl as reference electrode, and Pt wire as auxiliary electrode connected through potentiostat. The enzyme electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The biosensor detected creatinine levels as low as 0.1 μM, estimated at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, within 5 s at pH 7.5 and 35 °C. The optimized biosensor showed a linear response range of 10 to 750 μM creatinine with sensitivity of 40 μA/mM/cm². The fabricated biosensor was successfully employed for determination of creatinine in human serum. The biosensor showed only 15% loss in its initial response after 180 days when stored at 4 °C.     

ATP microelectrode biosensor for stable long-term in vitro monitoring from gastrointestinal tissue

We have developed a stable and selective ATP biosensor for long-term in vitro tissue monitoring. The electrode was fabricated by entrapping glucose oxidase (GOx) and hexokinase (HEX) in a poly-phenol film on a Pt microelectrode. The biosensor was stable to a fixed concentration of glucose for over 20 min and had a limit of detection of 9.9 ± 3.2 nM, with a sensitivity of 45.8 ± 1.22 pA μM(-1). Most significantly of all, the response on the ATP biosensor did not alter in the presence of 1mM ascorbic acid, 5 μM dopamine, 5 μM serotonin, 5 μM ADP and 5 μM AMP. The ATP biosensor was also shown to have excellent stability over 7 days, and showed only a 23.92 ± 3.55% loss in sensitivity. The ATP biosensor was utilised for the in vitro detection of ATP from gastrointestinal tissue. The ATP biosensor response was stable for 5h during in vitro recordings from ileum tissue. ATP release was shown to be greater from the mucosal surface in the ileum compared to the colon.     

Construction of an amperometric glucose biosensor based on the immobilization of glucose oxidase onto electrodeposited Pt nanoparticles-chitosan composite film

One-step construction of Pt nanoparticles-chitosan composite film (PtNPs-CS) was firstly proposed as a novel immobilization matrix for the enzymes to fabricate glucose biosensor. This novel interface embedded in situ PtNPs in CS hydrogel was developed by one-step electrochemical deposition in solution containing CS and chloroplatinic acid (H(2)PtCl(6)). Several techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry were employed to characterize the assembly process and performance of the biosensor. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the resulting biosensor exhibited excellent linear behavior in the concentration range from 1.2 μM to 4.0 mM for the quantitative analysis of glucose with a limit of detection of 0.4 μM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(M)(app)) was evaluated to be 2.4 mM, showing good affinity. The proposed biosensor offered good amperometric responses to glucose due to the nanostructured sensing film provided plenty of active sites for the immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOD).     

Modification of nanocrystalline TiO2 coatings with molecularly imprinted TiO2 for uric acid recognition

Combining the surface modification and molecular imprinting technique, a novel piezoelectric sensing platform with excellent molecular recognition capability was established for the detection of uric acid (UA) based on the immobilization of TiO₂ nanoparticles onto quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) electrode and modification of molecularly imprinted TiO₂ (MIT) layer on TiO₂ nanoparticles. The performance of the fabricated biosensor was evaluated, and the results indicated that the biosensor exhibited high sensitivity in UA detection, with a linear range from 0.04 to 45 μM and a limit of detection of 0.01 μM. Moreover, the biosensor presented high selectivity towards UA in comparison with other interferents. The analytical application of the UA biosensor confirmed the feasibility of UA detection in urine sample.     

Voltammetric determination of epinephrine by White rot fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME446) cells based microbial biosensor

The lyophilized biomass of White rot fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME446) was immobilized in gelatine using glutaraldehyde crosslinking agent on a Pt working electrode. The fungal cells retained their laccase activity under entrapped state. The immobilized cells were used as a source of laccase to develop amperometric epinephrine biosensor. The catalytic action of the laccase in the biosensor released an epinephrinequinone as a result of redox activity, thereby causing an increase in the current. The optimal working conditions of the biosensor were carried out at pH 4.5 (50 mM acetate buffer containing 100 mM K(3)Fe(CN)(6)), and 20°C. The sensor response was linear over a range of 5-100 μM epinephrine. The detection limit of the biosensor was found to be 1.04 μM. In the optimization and characterization studies of the microbial biosensor some parameters such as effect of fungi and gelatine amount, percentage of glutaraldehyde on the biosensor response and substrate specificity were carried out. In the application studies of the biosensor, sensitive determination of epinephrine in pharmaceutical ampules was investigated.     

Indirect electrocatalytic determination of choline by monitoring hydrogen peroxide at the choline oxidase-prussian blue modified iron phosphate nanostructures

Choline, as a marker of cholinergic activity in brain tissue, is very important in biological and clinical analysis, especially in the clinical detection of the neurodegenerative disorders disease. This work presents an electrochemical approach for the detection of choline based on prussian blue modified iron phosphate nanostructures (PB-FePO(4)). The obtained nanostructures showed a good catalysis toward the electroreduction of H(2)O(2), and an amperometric choline biosensor was developed by immobilizing choline oxidase on the PB-FePO(4) nanostructures. The biosensor exhibited a rapid response (ca. 2s), low detection limit (0.4±0.05 μM), wide linear range (2 μM to 3.2 mM), high sensitivity (~75.2 μAm M(-1) cm(-2)), as well as good stability and repeatability. In addition, the common interfering species, such as ascorbic acid, uric acid and 4-acetamidophenol did not cause obvious interference due to the low detection potential (-0.05 V versus saturated calomel electrode). This nanostructure could be used as a promise platform for the construction of other oxidase-based biosensors.     

Study of real-time lectin-carbohydrate interactions on the surface of a quartz crystal microbalance

A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor system for lectin-carbohydrate interactions has been developed. Yeast mannan was immobilised on polystyrene-coated quartz crystals, and interactions tested with the lectin concanavalin A (Con A). The biosensor could be easily operated, where mannan immobilisation and all binding analyses were performed in real-time using a flow-through system. The apparent binding constant for yeast mannan to Con A was estimated to be 0.4 microM, well in accordance to reported literature values. In addition, the effective concentration values (EC50-values) for a series of mannose/mannoside ligands, acting as competitors to the mannan/Con A interaction, were determined to range from 0.18 to 5.3 mM, in good correlation with a related enzyme-labelled lectin assay (ELLA) protocol.     

An alternative quantitative acoustical and electrical method for detection of cell adhesion process in real-time

Sauerbrey [(1956), Z Phys 55:206-222] showed that the shift in resonance frequency of thickness shear mode (TSM) of a quartz crystal sensor is proportional to the mass, which is deposited on it. However, new powerful electrical circuits were developed that are capable of operating TSM quartz crystal sensors in fluids which enabled this method to be introduced into electrochemical and biological applications. These applications include the detection of virus capsids, bacteria, mammalian cells, the interaction of DNA and RNA with complementary strands, specific recognition of protein ligands by immobilized receptors, and last but not least the study of complete immunosensors. Piezoelectric quartz transducers allow a label-free identification of molecules; they are more than mass sensors since the biosensor response is also influenced by the surface charge of adsorbed proteins, interfacial phenomena, surface roughness and viscoelastic properties of the adhered biomaterial. These new characteristics have recently been used to investigate cell, liposome, and protein adhesion onto surfaces, thus permitting the rapid determination of morphological cell changes as a response to pharmacological substances, and changes in the water content of biopolymers avoiding of time-consuming methods. We validated an alternative quantitative acoustical engineering for cell adhesion process monitored by the TSM. Shear acoustical results (motional resistance) are further correlated to cell counting procedures and are sensitive of adhesion processes in real-time.     

QCM-based DNA biosensor for detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Development of a mass sensitive quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-based DNA biosensor for the detection of the hybridization of CaMV 35S promoter sequence (P35S) was investigated for the screening of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Attention was focused on the choice of the coating chemistry that could be used for the immobilization of probe sequences on the gold surface of the quartz crystal. Two immobilization procedures were tested and compared considering the amount of the immobilized P35S probe and the extent of the hybridization reaction with the target oligonucleotide. In wet chemistry procedure, the interaction between the thiol and gold for the immobilization of a thiolated probe was employed. Direct surface functionalization of piezoelectric quartz crystals were achieved in 13.56 MHz plasma polymerization reactor utilising ethylenediamine (EDA) precursors for the immobilization of amined probes. Results indicated that immobilization of a thiolated probe provides better immobilization characteristics and higher sensitivity for the detection of the hybridization reaction. The thiolated probe was used for the detection of P35S sequence in PCR-amplified DNAs and in real samples of pflp (ferrodoxin like protein)-gene inserted tobacco plants. Fragmentation of the genomic DNAs were achieved by digestion with restriction endonucleases and ultrasonication. The results obtained from the fragmented genomic DNAs demonstrated that it is possible to detect the target sequence directly in non-amplified genomic DNAs by using the developed QCM-based DNA biosensor system. The developed QCM-based DNA biosensor represented promising results for a real-time, label-free, direct detection of DNA samples for the screening of GMOs.     

Au-nanoclusters incorporated 3-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole film modified electrode for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine, uric acid and nitrite

A novel biosensor has been constructed by the electrodeposition of Au-nanoclusters (nano-Au) on poly(3-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole) (p-TA) film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and employed for the simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA) and nitrite (NO₂⁻). NH₂ and SH groups exposed to the p-TA layer are helpful for the electrodeposition of nano-Au. The combination of nano-Au and p-TA endow the biosensor with large surface area, good biological compatibility, electricity and stability, high selectivity and sensitivity and flexible and controllable electrodeposition process. In the fourfold co-existence system, the linear calibration plots for AA, DA, UA and NO₂⁻ were obtained over the range of 2.1–50.1 μM, 0.6–340.0 μM, 1.6–110.0 μM and 15.9–277.0 μM with detection limits of 1.1 × 10⁻⁶ M, 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ M, 8.0 × 10⁻⁸ M and 8.9 × 10⁻⁷ M, respectively. In addition, the modified biosensor was applied to the determination of AA, DA, UA and NO₂⁻ in urine and serum samples by using standard adding method with satisfactory results.     

A G-quadruplex based label-free fluorescent biosensor for lead ion

Many Pb(2+) biosensors based on Pb(2+)-specific RNA-cleaving DNAzyme have been developed in the past years. However, many of them have limited practical use because of high cost (e.g., enzymes), complicated processing and the use of unstable molecules (e.g., RNA). In this study, a novel label-free fluorescent biosensor for Pb(2+) was proposed based on Pb(2+)-induced allosteric G-quadruplex (PS2.M). In the presence of K(+), N-methyl mesoporphyrin IX (NMM) could bind to K(+)-stabilized G-quadruplexes, giving rise to high fluorescence. On addition of Pb(2+), Pb(2+) competitively binded to K(+)-stabilized G-quadruplexes to form more compact DNA folds. The Pb(2+)-stabilized G-quadruplexes did not bind to NMM, which resulted in fluorescence decrease. This allowed us to utilize PS2.M for quantitative analysis of Pb(2+) using the NMM-G-quadruplex system by convenient "mix-and-detect" protocol. The fluorescence emission ratio (F(0)/F) showed a good linear response toward Pb(2+) over the range from 5.0 nM to 1.0 μM with a limit of detection of 1.0 nM. This proposed biosensor was simple and cost efficiency in design and in operation with high sensitivity and selectivity. We validated the practicality of this biosensor for the determination of Pb(2+) in lake water samples.     

A biosensor for estrogenic substances using the quartz crystal microbalance

This article describes a biosensor that detects estrogenic substances using a quartz crystal microbalance with a genetically engineered construct of the hormone-binding domain of the alpha-estrogen receptor. The receptor was immobilized to a piezoelectric quartz crystal via a single exposed cysteine, forming a uniform orientation on the crystal surface. Our results illustrate that this sensor responds to a variety of ligands that are known to bind to the estrogen receptor. No response was observed for nonbinding substances such as testosterone and progesterone. The sensitive response of this biosensor to estrogenic substances results from changes in the structural rigidity of the immobilized receptor that occurs with ligand binding. Agonist and antagonist show different responses.