Preparation and characterization of urease-encapsulated biosensors in poly(vinyl alcohol)-modified silica sol-gel materials

The microenvironments of the sol-gel-derived urease biosensors in terms of elemental ratio, surface morphology, specific surface area and pore size were investigated to characterize the physicochemical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-modified sol-gel materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and surface area analyzer were used to identify the surface species, topography and pore distribution of the organically doped sol-gel network. XPS results showed that stoichiometric ratios of oxygen-to-silicon in sol-gel materials were in the range 2.08-2.11. The sol-gel materials were partially dried and negatively charged, which retained 6-8% water content to maintain urease activity. The surface morphology of the sol-gel altered obviously when macromolecules were encapsulated, resulting in the increase in surface mean roughness from 0.207 to 2.636 nm. The specific surface area decreased dramatically after the immobilization of biomolecules and organic additives, which clearly depicts that PVA and urease were co-encapsulated into the sol-gel network. However, there still exist enough pore volumes for analytes to mass transport. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant value (Km) of the encapsulated urease was similar to that in solution and the overall catalytic efficiency in PVA-doped sol-gel-derived glasses only decreased by a factor of 3.2 relative to the value in solution. In addition, the analytical performance of the entrapped urease in PVA-doped sol-gel materials was examined by determining the Cu(II) concentration in aqueous solution. The analytical range of Cu(II) was in the range 2x10(-6) to 2x10(-2) M with a detection limit of 1.5 microg L(-1). Results obtained in this study demonstrate a strategy for maintaining urease activity for biomedical and environmental applications.     

Molecular imprinting in sol-gel matrix

Molecular imprinting is a newly developed methodology which provides molecular assemblies of desired structures and properties and is being increasingly used for several applications such as in separation processes, microreactors, immunoassays and antibody mimics, catalysis, artificial enzymes, biosensor recognition elements and bio- and chemo-sensors. The ambient processing conditions and versatility of the sol-gel process makes sol-gel glassy matrix suitable for molecular imprinting. The progress of sol-gel based molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) for various applications can be seen from the growing number of publications. The main focus of the review is molecular imprinting in sol-gel matrix and applications of molecular imprinted sol-gel derived materials for the development of sensors. Combining sol-gel process with molecular imprinting enables to procure the sensors with greater sensitivity and selectivity necessary for sensing applications. The merits, problems, challenges and factors affecting molecular imprinting in sol-gel matrix have been discussed. Considerable attention has been drawn on recent developments like use of organically modified silane precursors (ORMOSILS) for the synthesis of hybrid molecular imprinted polymers (HMIPs) and applying surface sol-gel process for molecular imprinting. The development of molecular imprinted sol-gel nanotubes for biochemical separation and bio-imprinting is a new advancement and is under progress. Templated xerogels and molecularly imprinted sol-gel films provide a good platform for various sensor applications.     

Development of DNA electrochemical biosensor based on covalent immobilization of probe DNA by direct coupling of sol-gel and self-assembly technologies

A new procedure for fabricating deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) electrochemical biosensor was developed based on covalent immobilization of target single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) on Au electrode that had been functionalized by direct coupling of sol-gel and self-assembled technologies. Two siloxanes, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysiloxane (MPTMS) and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysiloxane (GPTMS) were used as precursors to prepare functionally self-assembly sol-gel film on Au electrode. The thiol group of MPTMS allowed assembly of MPTMS sol-gel on gold electrode surface. Through co-condensation between silanols, GPTMS sol-gel with epoxide groups interconnected into MPTMS sol-gel and enabled covalent immobilization of target NH(2)-ssDNA through epoxide/amine coupling reaction. The concentration of MPTMS and GPTMS influenced the performance of the resulting biosensor due to competitive sol-gel process. The linear range of the developed biosensor for determination of complementary ssDNA was from 2.51 x 10(-9) to 5.02 x 10(-7)M with a detection limit of 8.57 x 10(-10)M. The fabricated biosensor possessed good selectivity and could be regenerated. The covalent immobilization of target ssDNA on self-assembled sol-gel matrix could serve as a versatile platform for DNA immobilization and fabrication of biosensors.     

Biomolecule immobilization in biosensor development: tailored strategies based on affinity interactions

The exponential development of biosensors as powerful analytical tools in the last four decades mainly relies on the high sensitivity and selectivity offered when detecting the target analyte. The transducer and the biological receptor are the bases of the biosensor development. Nevertheless, the bioreceptor immobilisation is also important, playing a key role in the retention of the biological activity, and thus affecting the sensitivity. Parameters such as shelf-life and surface regeneration also depend on the biomolecule immobilisation. Researchers are focusing their efforts towards random and oriented immobilisation procedures. Adsorption, entrapment, cross-linking and electrostatic interactions provide randomly immobilised biomolecules, sometimes partially hindering their biological activity. Covalent binding and affinity interactions may enable oriented biomolecule immobilisations, providing controlled, reproducible and highly active modified surfaces. This paper reviews the main immobilisation strategies used in the biosensors development, putting special emphasis on our contribution to mild and oriented immobilisation techniques.     

The sol-gel encapsulation of enzymes

In the past decade, the encapsulation of enzymes inside inorganic sol-gel matrices has become a generic method to prepare efficient biocatalysts which are easy to recycle. In this review, the sol-gel processes useful for enzyme encapsulation, (mostly sol-gel silica) are outlined. Then, the most recent developments in the applications of such biocatalysts are presented, in particular regarding biosensors and chemical synthesis. Finally, a special attention is addressed to the types of interactions which are considered to prevail between the enzyme or the substrates and products, and the matrix, in these materials.     

Recent advances in polyaniline based biosensors

The present paper contains a detailed overview of recent advances relating to polyaniline (PANI) as a transducer material for biosensor applications. This conducting polymer provides enormous opportunities for binding biomolecules, tuning their bio-catalytic properties, rapid electron transfer and direct communication to produce a range of analytical signals and new analytical applications. Merging the specific nature of different biomolecules (enzymes, nucleic acids, antibodies, etc.) and the key properties of this modern conducting matrix, possible biosensor designs and their biosensing characteristics have been discussed. Efforts have been made to discuss and explore various characteristics of PANI responsible for direct electron transfer leading towards fabrication of mediator-less biosensors.     

A new helicase assay based on graphene oxide for anti-viral drug development

Recently, graphene oxide (GO), one of the carbon nanomaterials, has received much attention due to its unique physical and chemical properties and high potential in many research areas, including applications as a biosensor and drug delivery vehicle. Various GO-based biosensors have been developed, largely based on its surface adsorption properties for detecting biomolecules, such as nucleotides and peptides, and real-time monitoring of enzymatic reactions. In this review, we discuss recent advances in GO-based biosensors focusing on a novel assay platform for helicase activity, which was also employed in high-throughput screening to discover selective helicase inhibitors.     

Durable cofactor immobilization in sol-gel bio-composite thin films for reagentless biosensors and bioreactors using dehydrogenases

A new strategy directed to the durable immobilization of NAD(+)/NADH cofactors has been tested, along with a suitable redox mediator (ferrocene), in biocompatible sol-gel matrices encapsulating a bi-enzymatic system (a dehydrogenase and a diaphorase, this latter being useful to the safe regeneration of the cofactor), which were deposited as thin films onto glassy carbon electrode surfaces. It involves the chemical attachment of NAD(+) to the silica matrix using glycidoxypropylsilane in the course of the sol-gel process (in smooth chemical conditions). This approach based on chemical bonding of the cofactor (which was checked by infrared spectroscopy) led to good performances in terms of long-term stability of the electrochemical response. The possibility to integrate all components (proteins, cofactor, mediator) in the sol-gel layer in an active and durable form gave rise to reagentless devices with extended operational stability (i.e. high amperometric response maintained for more than 12h of continuous use under constant potential, whereas the signal completely vanished within the first few minutes of working with non-covalently bonded NAD(+)). To confirm the wide applicability of the proposed approach, the same strategy has been applied to the elaboration of biosensors for D-sorbitol, D-glucose and L-lactate with using D-sorbitol dehydrogenase, D-glucose dehydrogenase and L-lactate dehydrogenase respectively. The analytical characteristics of the glucose sensors are given and compared to previous approaches described in the literature for the elaboration of reagentless biosensors.     

Enzyme fluorescence as a sensing tool: new perspectives in biotechnology

The technology for fluorescence protein-sensing is advancing rapidly owing to the continued introduction of new concepts, new fluorophores, and proteins engineered for sensing-specific analytes. Concerns about the reversibility and selectivity of engineered proteins are being addressed by developing biosensors that are based on the utilisation of coenzyme-depleted enzymes. Such biomolecules do not consume the substrate and can exhibit conformational changes upon the binding of the analyte, which can be easily detected as fluorescence change. In addition, concerns about the stability of biosensors can be overcome by using thermostable enzymes isolated from thermophilic microorganisms. Finally, the development of new techniques such as polarization-based sensing, anisotropy-based sensing and lifetime-based sensing, all of which can be accomplished with light-emitting diodes as the light source, is prompting the design of a new class of specific and stable biosensors, as has occurred with blood glucose measurement. These biosensors represent a valid alternative to the conventional clinical chemistry diagnostics.     

Nucleic acids as a basis for creating biosensors

Here we present a brief conception of biosensors. Structural peculiarities and properties of single- and double-stranded nucleic acids that are to be taken into account when creating biosensors on the basis of these biomolecules are considered. On the example of two biologically active compounds a possibility is shown for constructing biosensors on the basis of liquid-crystalline dispersions of low molecular mass DNA and on the basis of liquid-crystalline DNA dispersions immobilized due to their inclusion into the synthetic polymeric matrix.     

Integration of biomolecules and nanomaterials: towards highly selective and sensitive biosensors

Significant efforts have been made toward the development of high-performance biosensors for various applications. Advances in nanotechnology have resulted in the development of highly sensitive electrochemical sensing devices. It is believed that highly sensitive and selective biosensors can be realized through the integration of biomolecules and nanomaterial-based sensor platforms. Numerous articles have described combining biomolecules as recognition elements with nanotechnology for the development of biosensors with enhanced selectivity and sensitivity. Recent advances in the development of biosensors through the integration of biomolecules with nanotechnology are reviewed in this article.     

Plant cell proliferation inside an inorganic host

In recent years, much attention has been paid to plant cell culture as a tool for the production of secondary metabolites and the expression of recombinant proteins. Plant cell immobilization offers many advantages for biotechnological processes. However, the most extended matrices employed, such as calcium-alginate, cannot fully protect entrapped cells. Sol-gel chemistry of silicates has emerged as an outstanding strategy to obtain biomaterials in which living cells are truly protected. This field of research is rapidly developing and a large number of bacteria and yeast-entrapping ceramics have already been designed for different applications. But even mild thermal and chemical conditions employed in sol-gel synthesis may result harmful to cells of higher organisms. Here we present a method for the immobilization of plant cells that allows cell growth at cavities created inside a silica matrix. Plant cell proliferation was monitored for a 6-month period, at the end of which plant calli of more than 1 mm in diameter were observed inside the inorganic host. The resulting hybrid device had good mechanical stability and proved to be an effective barrier against biological contamination, suggesting that it could be employed for long-term plant cell entrapment applications.     

Immobilization of enzymes into nanocavities for the improvement of biosensor stability

Nanoporous materials with different pore sizes are evaluated as immobilization and stabilization matrices of proteins for the development of highly stable biosensors. It has been proven experimentally that confinement of proteins in cages with a diameter that is 2-6 times larger than their size increases considerably the stability of the biomolecules, as has been shown earlier by theoretical calculations. Porous silica beads with pore sizes of 10nm were utilized for the immobilization of the enzymes HRP and GOx with diameters in the order of 5 and 7 nm, respectively. The sensitivity of the corresponding biosensor systems was monitored for 70 h under continuous operation conditions (+600 mV) and it was found that the stabilization factor of GOx is 1.7 times higher compared to HRP. Also the stabilization efficiency of enzymes against leaching and inactivation in porous polymer beads with pore diameters of 10 and 30 nm was examined. The leaching rate of the enzyme AChE from the 30 nm polymer beads was found to be 1.1 times higher than that from the 10nm beads. At the same time the remaining activity of GOx biosensors after 5 days of continuous operation conditions (+600 mV) was found to be 2.1 times higher when the enzyme had been immobilized in the 10nm beads compared to the 30 nm beads. It is thus evident that the matching between the pore size of nanoporous materials and the molecular size of enzymes is essential for the development of biosensors with extended shelf and operational lifetimes.     

Stabilization of enzymes in nanoporous materials for biosensor applications

In this study we present the results obtained from efforts to stabilize the inherently unstable m-AChE in nanoporous materials, for the development of biosensors with increased operational stability. Based on existing theoretical models, the entrapment of proteins into relatively small rigid cages drastically increases the stability of these proteins, as this is manifested by their decreased tendency to unfold. The use of two different meso/nanomaterials for the immobilization of the m-AChE shows that there is both a decrease in the leaching of the protein from the biosensor membrane to the test solution, as well as a drastic increase in the operational stability of the resulting biosensor.     

Application of conducting polymers to biosensors

Recently, conducting polymers have attracted much interest in the development of biosensors. The electrically conducting polymers are known to possess numerous features, which allow them to act as excellent materials for immobilization of biomolecules and rapid electron transfer for the fabrication of efficient biosensors. In the present review an attempt has been made to describe the salient features of conducting polymers and their wide applications in health care, food industries, environmental monitoring etc.     

Immobilization of a trienzymatic system in a sol-gel matrix: a new fluorescent biosensor for xanthine

In this work we report the development of a highly sensitive fluorescent multienzymatic biosensor for quantitative xanthine detection. This biosensor is built by the simultaneous encapsulation of three enzymes, xanthine oxidase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, in a single sol-gel matrix coupled to the Amplex Red probe. The sol-gel chemistry yields a porous, optically transparent matrix that retains the natural conformation and the reactivity of the three co-immobilized proteins. Xanthine determination is based on a sequence of reactions, namely catalytic oxidation of xanthine to uric acid and superoxide radical, and subsequent catalytic dismutation of the radical, resulting in the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which reacts stoichiometrically with non-fluorescent Amplex Red to produce highly fluorescent resorufin. The optimal operational conditions for the biosensor were investigated. Linearity was observed for xanthine concentrations up to 3.5 microM, with a detection limit of 20 nM, which largely improved the sensitivity of the current xanthine biosensors. The developed biosensor is reusable and remains stable for 2 weeks under adequate storage conditions.     

Characterization of sol-gel entrapped chlorophyllase

Immobilization of membrane proteins remains a challenge compared to soluble proteins. The membrane protein-chlorophyllase was successful entrapped in tetramethoxysilane (TMOS)-based sol-gel in the presence of lipid. Activity was examined against mixing rate, incubation temperature, time, substrate, acetone, and canola oil concentration. The external mass transfer of chlorophyll is not the rate-limiting step at higher mixing rates. Stability against temperature and acetone as denaturant was enhanced. In spite of the fact that an initial reaction lag phase was observed, 20% more chlorophyll was hydrolyzed, compared to reaction with free enzyme by the end of a 12 h assay. The initial lower activity demonstrated by entrapped chlorophyllase is likely due to the diffusion resistance of chlorophyll into and within the entrapment matrix. This hypothesis was substantiated by a low diffusion coefficient on the order of 10(-14) m(2)/s obtained for chlorophyll in nanoporous sol-gel particles. Pore size distribution of nanoporous wet TMOS-based sol-gel with or without protein was determined by thermoporometry. The change in pore morphology upon doping with chlorophyllase suggests that protein acts as a template during the sol-gel process.     

Mediator-free phenol sensor based on titania sol-gel encapsulation matrix for immobilization of tyrosinase by a vapor deposition method

A novel amperometric phenol sensor was constructed by immobilizing tyrosinase in a titania sol-gel matrix. The tyrosinase entrapped sol-gel film was obtained with a vapor deposition method, which simplified the traditional sol-gel process and avoided the shrinkage and cracking of conventional sol-gel-derived glasses. This matrix provided a microenvironment for retaining the native structure and activity of the entrapped enzyme and a very low mass transport barrier to the enzyme substrates. Phenol could be oxidized by dissolving oxygen in presence of immobilized tyrosinase to form a detectable product, which was determined at -150 mV without any mediator. The phenol sensor exhibited a fast response (less than 5 s) and sensitivity as high as 103 microA/mM, which resulted from the porous structure and high enzyme loading of the sol-gel matrix. The linear range for phenol determination was from 1.2x10(-7) to 2.6x10(-4) M with a detection limit of 1.0x10(-7) M. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant of the encapsulated tyrosinase was calculated to be (0.29+/-0.02) mM. The stability of the biosensor was also evaluated.     

Molecular confinement influences protein structure and enhances thermal protein stability

The sol-gel method of encapsulating proteins in a silica matrix was investigated as a potential experimental system for testing the effects of molecular confinement on the structure and stability of proteins. We demonstrate that silica entrapment (1) is fully compatible with structure analysis by circular dichroism, (2) allows conformational studies in contact with solvents that would otherwise promote aggregation in solution, and (3) generally enhances thermal protein stability. Lysozyme, alpha-lactalbumin, and metmyoglobin retained native-like solution structures following sol-gel encapsulation, but apomyoglobin was found to be largely unfolded within the silica matrix under control buffer conditions. The secondary structure of encapsulated apomyoglobin was unaltered by changes in pH and ionic strength of KCl. Intriguingly, the addition of other neutral salts resulted in an increase in the alpha-helical content of encapsulated apomyoglobin in accordance with the Hofmeister ion series. We hypothesize that protein conformation is influenced directly by the properties of confined water in the pores of the silica. Further work is needed to differentiate the steric effects of the silica matrix from the solvent effects of confined water on protein structure and to determine the extent to which this experimental system mimics the effects of crowding and confinement on the function of macromolecules in vivo.     

Applications of commercial biosensors in clinical,food, environmental,and biothreat/biowarfare analyses

The lack of specific, low-cost, rapid, sensitive, and easy detection of biomolecules has resulted in the development of biosensor technology. Innovations in biosensor technology have enabled many biosensors to be commercialized and have enabled biomolecules to be detected onsite. Moreover, the emerging technologies of lab-on-a-chip microdevices and nanosensors offer opportunities for the development of new biosensors with much better performance. Biosensors were first introduced into the laboratory by Clark and Lyons. They developed the first glucose biosensor for laboratory conditions. Then in 1973, a glucose biosensor was commercialized by Yellow Springs Instruments. The commercial biosensors have small size and simple construction and they are ideal for point-of-care biosensing. In addition to glucose, a wide variety of metabolites such as lactate, cholesterol, and creatinine can be detected by using commercial biosensors. Like the glucose biosensors (tests) other commercial tests such as for pregnancy (hCG), Escherichia coli O157, influenza A and B viruses, Helicobacter pylori, human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, and malaria have achieved success. Apart from their use in clinical analysis, commercial tests are also used in environmental (such as biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate, pesticide), food (such as glutamate, glutamine, sucrose, lactose, alcohol, ascorbic acid), and biothreat/biowarfare (Bacillus anthracis, Salmonella, Botulinum toxin) analysis. In this review, commercial biosensors in clinical, environmental, food, and biowarfare analysis are summarized and the commercial biosensors are compared in terms of their important characteristics. This is the first review in which all the commercially available tests are compiled together.