An amperometric uric acid biosensor based on multiwalled carbon nanotube-gold nanoparticle composite

An amperometric uric acid biosensor was fabricated by immobilizing uricase (EC 1.7.3.3) onto gold nanoparticle (AuNP)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) layer deposited on Au electrode via carbodiimide linkage. Determination of uric acid was performed by oxidation of enzymically generated H₂O₂ at 0.4 V. The sensor showed optimal response within 7 s at 40 °C in 50 mM Tris–HCl buffer (pH 7.5). The linear working range of the biosensor was 0.01–0.8 mM. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.01 mM. The sensor measured uric acid levels in serum of healthy individuals and persons suffering from gout. The analytical recoveries of the added uric acid, 10 and 20 mg L^–1, were 98.0% and 96.5%, respectively. Within- and between-batch coefficients of variation were less than 5.6% and less than 4.7%, respectively. A good correlation (r = 0.998) was obtained between serum uric acid values by the standard enzymic colorimetric method and the current method. A number of serum substances had practically no interference. The sensor was used in more than 200 assays and had a storage life of 120 days at 4 °C.     

An amperometric cholesterol biosensor based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes and organically modified sol-gel/chitosan hybrid composite film

A new type of amperometric cholesterol biosensor based on sol-gel chitosan/silica and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) organic-inorganic hybrid composite material was developed. The hybrid composite film was used to immobilize cholesterol oxidase on the surface of Prussian blue-modified glass carbon electrode. Effects of some experimental variables such as enzyme loading, concentration of Triton X-100, pH, temperature, and applied potential on the current response of the biosensor were investigated. Analytical characteristics and dynamic parameters of the biosensors with and without MWCNTs in the hybrid film were compared, and the results show that analytical performance of the biosensor can be improved greatly after introduction of the MWCNTs. Response time, sensitivity, linear range, limit of detection (S/N=3), and apparent Michaelis-Menten constant Km are 25s, 0.54 microA mM(-1), 8.0 x 10(-6) to 4.5 x 10(-4) M, 4.0 x 10(-6) M, and 0.41 mM for the biosensor without MWCNTs and 13 s, 1.55 microA mM(-1), 4.0 x 10(-6) to 7.0 x 10(-4) M, 1.0 x 10(-6) M, and 0.24 mM for the biosensor with MWCNTs, respectively. The activation energy of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction was measured to be 42.6 kJ mol(-1). This method has been used to determine the free cholesterol concentration in real human blood samples.     

An amperometric pyruvate biosensor based on pyruvate oxidase nanoparticles immobilized onto pencil graphite electrode

This present study was aimed to fabricate a sensitive and improved amperometric biosensor by the nanoparticles of pyruvate oxidase, which were prepared and immobilized covalently onto pencil graphite electrode. The biosensor showed ideal working within 5 s under defined conditions of pH 6.0 and incubation temperature of 30 °C at an applied voltage of -0.1 V. Under standard assay conditions, a linear response was obtained between pyruvate concentration ranging from 0.001 to 6000 μM and current (μA). A lower detection limit (0.58 μM) and an excellent correlation coefficient (R² = 0.999) with standard spectrophotometric assay was obtained for the present biosensor. Within and between batches of coefficients of variation were calculated and found to be 3.61 % and 3.33 %, respectively. The biosensor was put to continual use for over 210 days. The biosensor was employed for the measurement of pyruvate level in sera of normal healthy individuals and persons suffering from heart disease.     

A mediatorless biosensor for putrescine using multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride, having a capability of dispersing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), permits the modification of electrode surfaces. Together with putrescine oxidase, a MWCNT modified glassy carbon electrode was constructed for the development of a mediatorless putrescine biosensor. Nanoscale "dendrites" of MWCNTs were reasoned to form a network, projecting outward from the electrode surface acting like bundled ultra-microelectrodes, thereby permitting access to the active site and facilitating direct electron transfer to the immobilized enzyme. Our biosensor was capable of efficiently monitoring the direct electroactivity of putrescine oxidase at the electrode surface. Direct electron transfer permits the detection of putrescine at negative potentials, circumventing the interference of endogenous ascorbic and uric acids, which often complicate the analysis of important compounds in plasma. Compared with the most common interfering species, such as spermine, spermidine, cadaverine, and histamine, a detection limit of 5 microM and a response 20 times greater were found for putrescine. Tests performed on plasma of cancerous mice demonstrated that the detection of putrescine could be carried out very quickly on mammalian plasma without previous purification.     

Polyaniline-carbon nanotube composite film for cholesterol biosensor

Nanocomposite film composed of polyaniline (PANI) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), prepared electrophoretically onto indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass plate, was used for covalent immobilization of cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) via N-ethyl-N′-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) chemistry. Results of linear sweep voltammetric measurements reveal that ChOx/PANI-MWCNT/ITO bioelectrode can detect cholesterol in the range of 1.29 to 12.93 mM with high sensitivity of 6800 nA mM⁻¹ and a fast response time of 10 s. Photometric studies for ChOx/PANI-MWCNT/ITO bioelectrode indicate that it is thermally stable up to 45 °C and has a shelf life of approximately 12 weeks when stored at 4 °C. The results of these studies have implications for the application of this interesting matrix (PANI-MWCNT) toward the development of other biosensors.     

Construction of amperometric uric acid biosensor based on uricase immobilized on PBNPs/cMWCNT/PANI/Au composite

A chitosan-glutaraldehyde crosslinked uricase was immobilized onto Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) absorbed onto carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotube (c-MWCNT) and polyaniline (PANI) layer, electrochemically deposited on the surface of Au electrode. The nanohybrid-uricase electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopic (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and cyclic voltammetry. An amperometric uric acid biosensor was fabricated using uricase/c-MWCNT/PBNPs/Au electrode as working electrode, Ag/AgCl as standard and Pt wire as auxiliary electrode connected through a potentiostat. The biosensor showed optimum response within 4 s at pH 7.5 and 40 °C, when operated at 0.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The linear working range for uric acid was 0.005-0.8 mM, with a detection limit of 5 μM. The sensor was evaluated with 96% recovery of added uric acid in sera and 4.6 and 5.4% within and between batch of coefficient of variation respectively and a good correlation (r = 0.99) with standard enzymic colorimetric method. This sensor measured uric acid in real serum samples. The sensor lost only 37% of its initial activity after its 400 uses over a period of 7 months, when stored at 4 °C.     

Construction of a triglyceride amperometric biosensor based on chitosan-ZnO nanocomposite film

A method is described for construction of a novel amperometric triglyceride (TG) biosensor based on covalent co-immobilization of lipase, glycerol kinase (GK) and glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase (GPO) onto chitosan (CHIT) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) composite film deposited on the surface of Pt electrode. The enzymes-ZnONPs-CHIT composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The sensor showed optimum response within 6 s at pH 7.5 and temperature of 35 °C. The sensor measures current due to electrons generated at 0.4 V against Ag/AgCl from H₂O₂, which is produced from triolein by co-immobilized enzymes. A linear relationship was obtained between a wide triolein concentration range (50-650 mg/dl) and current (mA) under optimum conditions. The biosensor showed high sensitivity, low detection limit (20 mg/dl) and good storage stability (half-life of 7 months at 4 °C). The biosensor was unaffected modified by a number of serum substances at their physiological concentrations. The biosensor was evaluated and employed for determination of TG in sera in apparently healthy subjects and persons suffering from hypertriglyceridemia.     

Immobilization of cross-linked tannase enzyme on multiwalled carbon nanotubes and its catalytic behavior

Immobilization of cross-linked tannase on pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) was successfully performed. Cross-linking of tannase molecules was made through glutaraldehyde. The immobilized tannase exhibited significantly improved pH, thermal, and recycling stability. The optimal pH for both free and immobilized tannase was observed at pH 5.0 with optimal operating temperature at 30°C. Moreover, immobilized enzyme retained greater biocatalytic activities upon 10 repeated uses compared to free enzyme in solution. Immobilization of tannase was accomplished by strong hydrophobic interaction most likely between hydrophobic amino acid moieties of the glutaraldehyde-cross-linked tannase to the MWCNT.     

Amperometric biosensor for choline based on layer-by-layer assembled functionalized carbon nanotube and polyaniline multilayer film

Conducting polymer film was prepared by electrochemical polymerization of aniline. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were treated with a mixture of concentrated sulfuric and nitric acid to introduce carboxylic acid groups to the nanotubes. By using the layer-by-layer method, homogeneous and stable MWNTs and polyaniline (PANI) multilayer films were alternately assembled on glassy carbon (GC) electrodes. Conducting polymer of PANI had three main functions: (i) excellent antiinterference ability, (ii) protection ability in favor of increasing the amount of the MWNTs immobilized on GC electrodes, and (iii) superior transducing ability. The protection effect of PANI film and the electrostatic interaction between positively charged PANI and negatively charged MWNTs both attributed to immobilizing abundant MWNTs stably, thereby enhancing the catalytic activity. The layer-by-layer assembled MWNTs and PANI-modified GC electrodes offered a significant decrease in the overvoltage for the H2O2 and were shown to be excellent amperometric sensors for H2O2 from +0.2V over a wide range of concentrations. As an application example, by linking choline oxidase (CHOD), an amplified biosensor toward choline was prepared. The choline biosensor exhibited a linear response range of 1x10(-6) to 2x10(-3) M with a correlation coefficient of 0.997, and the response time and detection limit (S/N=3) were determined to be 3 s and 0.3 microM, respectively. The antiinterference biosensor displays a rapid response and an expanded linear response range as well as excellent reproducibility and stability.     

Amperometric glucose biosensor based on single-walled carbon nanohorns

The biosensing application of single-walled carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs) was demonstrated through fabrication of an amperometric glucose biosensor. The biosensor was constructed by encapsulating glucose oxidase in the Nafion-SWCNHs composite film. The cyclic voltammograms for glucose oxidase immobilized on the composite film displayed a pair of well-defined and nearly symmetric redox peaks with a formal potential of -0.453 V. The biosensor had good electrocatalytic activity toward oxidation of glucose. To decrease detection potential, ferrocene monocarboxylic acid was used as a redox mediator. The mediated glucose biosensor shows a linear range from 0 to 6.0 mM. The biosensor shows high sensitivity (1.06 microA/mM) and stability, and can avoid the commonly coexisted interference. Because of impressive properties of SWCNHs, such as high purity and high surface area, SWCNHs and their composites are expected to be promising material for biomolecular immobilization and biosensing applications.     

An amperometric biosensor based on horseradish peroxidase immobilized onto maize tassel-multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode for determination of heavy metal ions in aqueous solution

A biosensor for trace metal ions based on horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilized on maize tassel-multiwalled carbon nanotube (MT-MWCNT) through electrostatic interactions is described herein. The biosensor was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV–vis spectrometry, voltammetric and amperometric methods. The FTIR and UV–vis results inferred that HRP was not denatured during its immobilization on MT-MWCNT composite. The biosensing principle was based on the determination of the cathodic responses of the immobilized HRP to H₂O₂, before and after incubation in trace metal standard solutions. Under optimum conditions, the inhibition rates of trace metals were proportional to their concentrations in the range of 0.092–0.55 mg L⁻¹, 0.068–2 mg L⁻¹ for Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ respectively. The limits of detection were 2.5 μg L⁻¹ for Pb²⁺ and 4.2 μg L⁻¹ for Cu²⁺. Representative Dixon and Cornish-Bowden plots were used to deduce the mode of inhibition induced by the trace metal ions. The inhibition was reversible and mixed for both metal ions. Furthermore, the biosensor showed good stability, selectivity, repeatability and reproducibility.     

An amperometric biosensor for determining amino acids using a bienzymatic system containing amino acid oxidase and protease

An amperometric biosensor for rapid determination of the concentration of l-amino acids has been developed using l-amino acid oxidase (l-AAO) immobilized by gel entrapment with poly(carbamoyl) sulfonate hydrogel. The broad substrate range of l-AAO allows this biosensor to be flexible in application. The artificial sweetener, aspartame, was determined by coupling l-AAO with pronase.     

Facile preparation of amperometric laccase biosensor with multifunction based on the matrix of carbon nanotubes-chitosan composite

The carbon nanotubes–chitosan (CNTs–CS) composite provides a suitable biosensing matrix due to its good conductivity, high stability, and good biocompatibility. Enzymes can be firmly incorporated into the matrix without the aid of other cross-linking reagents. The composite is easy to form insoluble film in solution above pH 6.3. Based on this, a facilely fabricated amperometric biosensor by entrapping laccase into the CNTs–CS composite film has been developed. At pH 6.0, the fungi laccase incorporated into the composite film remains better catalytic activity than that dissolved in solution. The system is in favor of the accessibility of substrate to the active site of laccase, thus the affinity to substrates is improved greatly, such as 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), catechol, and O₂ with K_m values of 19.86 μM, 9.43 μM, and 3.22 mM, respectively. The major advantages of the as-prepared biosensor are: detecting different substrates (ABTS, catechol, and O₂), possessing high affinity and sensitivity, durable long-term stability, and facile preparation procedure. On the other hand, the system can be applied in fabrication of biofuel cells as the cathodic catalysts based on its good electrocatalysis for oxygen reduction. It can be extended to immobilize other enzymes and biomolecules, which will greatly facilitate the development of biosensors, biofuel cells, and other bioelectrochemical devices.     

Amperometric glucose biosensor based on adsorption of glucose oxidase at platinum nanoparticle-modified carbon nanotube electrode

A new amperometric biosensor, based on adsorption of glucose oxidase (GOD) at the platinum nanoparticle-modified carbon nanotube (CNT) electrode, is presented in this article. CNTs were grown directly on the graphite substrate. The resulting GOD/Pt/CNT electrode was covered by a thin layer of Nafion to avoid the loss of GOD in determination and to improve the anti-interferent ability. The morphologies and electrochemical performance of the CNT, Pt/CNT, and Nafion/GOD/Pt/CNT electrodes have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and amperometric methods. The excellent electrocatalytic activity and special three-dimensional structure of the enzyme electrode result in good characteristics such as a large determination range (0.1-13.5mM), a short response time (within 5s), a large current density (1.176 mA cm(-2)), and high sensitivity (91mA M(-1)cm(-2)) and stability (73.5% remains after 22 days). In addition, effects of pH value, applied potential, electrode construction, and electroactive interferents on the amperometric response of the sensor were investigated and discussed. The reproducibility and applicability to whole blood analysis of the enzyme electrode were also evaluated.     

Amperometric glucose biosensor based on multilayer films via layer-by-layer self-assembly of multi-wall carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles and glucose oxidase on the Pt electrode

A novel amperometric glucose biosensor based on the nine layers of multilayer films composed of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), gold nanoparticles (GNp) and glucose oxidase (GOD) was developed for the specific detection of glucose. MWCNTs were chemically modified with the H₂SO₄–HNO₃ pretreatment to introduce carboxyl groups which were used to interact with the amino groups of poly(allylamine) (PAA) and cysteamine via 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide cross-linking reaction, respectively. A cleaned Pt electrode was immersed in PAA, MWCNTs, cysteamine and GNp, respectively, followed by the adsorption of GOD, assembling the one layer of multilayer films on the surface of Pt electrode (GOD/GNp/MWCNTs/Pt electrode). Repeating the above process could assemble different layers of multilayer films on the Pt electrode. PBS washing was applied at the end of each assembly deposition for dissociating the weak adsorption. Film assembling and characterization were studied by transmission electron microscopy and quartz crystal microbalance, and properties of the resulting glucose biosensors were measured by electrochemical measurements. The marked electrocatalytic activity of Pt electrode based on multilayer films toward H₂O₂ produced during GOD enzymatic reactions with glucose permitted effective low-potential amperometric measurement of glucose. Taking the sensitivity and selectivity into consideration, the applied potential of 0.35 V versus Ag/AgCl was chosen for the oxidation detection of H₂O₂ in this work. Among the resulting glucose biosensors, the biosensor based on nine layers of multilayer films was best. It showed a wide linear range of 0.1–10 mM glucose, with a remarkable sensitivity of 2.527 μA/mM, a detection limit of 6.7 μM estimated at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 and fast response time (within 7 s). Moreover, it exhibited good reproducibility, long-term stability and the negligible interferences of ascorbic acid, uric acid and acetaminophen. The study can provide a feasible approach on developing new kinds of oxidase-based amperometric biosensors, and can be used as an illustration for constructing various hybrid structures.     

A novel amperometric bienzymatic biosensor based on alcohol oxidase coupled PVC reaction cell and nanomaterials modified working electrode for rapid quantification of alcohol

Abstract

A new amperometric sensor has been fabricated for sensitive and rapid quantification of ethanol. The biosensor assembly was prepared by covalently immobilizing alcohol oxidase (AOX) from Pichia pastoris onto chemically modified surface of polyvinylchloride (PVC) beaker with glutaraldehyde as a coupling agent followed by immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), chitosan (CHIT), carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNTs) and nafion (Nf) nanocomposite onto the surface of Au electrode (working electrode). Owing to properties such as chemical inertness, light weight, weather resistance, corrosion resistance, toughness and cost-effectiveness, PVC membrane has attracted a growing interest as a support for enzyme immobilization in the development of biosensors. The amperometric biosensor displayed optimum response within 8?s at pH 7.5 and 35°C temperature. A linear response to alcohol in the range of 0.01mM–50?mM and 0.0001?µM as a minimum limit of detection was displayed by the proposed biosensor with excellent storage stability (190?days) at 4°C. The sensitivity of the sensor was found to be 155?µA mM^?1?cm^?2. A good correlation (R²?=?0.99) was found between alcohol level in commercial samples as evaluated by standard ethanol assay kit and the current biosensor which validates its performance.     

Construction of an improved amperometric acrylamide biosensor based on hemoglobin immobilized onto carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes/iron oxide nanoparticles/chitosan composite film

A method is described for construction of an improved amperometric acrylamide biosensor based on covalent immobilization of hemoglobin (Hb) onto nanocomposite of carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (cMWCNT) and iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄NPs) electrodeposited onto Au electrode through chitosan (CHIT) film. The Hb/cMWCNT-Fe₃O₄NP/CHIT/Au electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and differential pulse voltammetry at different stages of its construction. The biosensor was based on interaction between acrylamide and Hb, which led to decrease in the electroactivity of Hb, i.e., current generated during its reversible conversion [Fe(II)/Fe(III)]. The biosensor showed optimum response within 8 s at pH 5.0 and 30 °C. The linear working range for acrylamide was 3–90 nM, with a detection limit of 0.02 nM and sensitivity of 36.9 μA/nM/cm². The biosensor was evaluated and employed for determination of acrylamide in potato crisps.     

Electrochemical detection of xanthine in fish meat by xanthine oxidase immobilized on carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polyaniline composite film

A commercial xanthine oxidase (XOD) was immobilized covalently onto carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNT) and polyaniline (PANI) composite film electrodeposited on the surface of a Pt electrode, using N-ethyl-N′-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxy succinimide (NHS) chemistry. A xanthine biosensor was fabricated using XOD/c-MWCNT/PANI/Pt electrode as a working electrode, Ag/AgCl (3 M KCl) as standard electrode and Pt wire as auxiliary electrode connected through a potentiostat. The enzyme electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The biosensor showed optimum response within 4 s at pH 7.0 and 35 °C, when polarized at 0.4 V. The optimized xanthine biosensor showed linear response range of 0.6–58 μM, with a detection limit of 0.6 μM (S/N = 3), and a correlation coefficient of 0.98. The biosensor was applied to determine xanthine in fish meat. The biosensor lost 50% of its initial activity after its 200 uses over a period of 100 days.     

An amperometric biosensor based on a composite of single-walled carbon nanotubes, plasma-polymerized thin film, and an enzyme

We report on an amperometric biosensor that is based on a nanocomposite of carbon nanotubes (CNT), a nano-thin plasma-polymerized film (PPF), and glucose oxidase (GOx) as an enzyme model. A mixture of the GOx and a CNT film is sandwiched with 10-nm-thick acetonitrile PPFs. Under PPF layer was deposited onto a sputtered gold electrode. To facilitate the electrochemical communication between the CNT layer and GOx, CNT was treated with nitrogen or oxygen plasma. The resulting device showed that the oxidizing current response due to enzymatic reaction was 4-16-fold larger than that with only CNT or PPF, showing that the PPF and/or plasma process is an enzyme-friendly platform for designing electrochemical communication from the reaction center of GOx to the electrode via CNTs. The optimized glucose biosensor showed high sensitivity (sensitivity of 42 microA mM(-1)cm(-2), correlation coefficient of 0.992, linear response range of 0.025-2.2 mM, and a detection limit of 6 microM at signal/noise ratio of 3, +0.8 V versus Ag/AgCl), high selectivity (almost no interference by 0.5 mM ascorbic acid) for glucose quantification, and rapid response (<4 s to reach 95% of maximum response). Additionally, the devices showed a small and stable background current (0.35+/-0.013 microA) compared with the glucose response (ca. 10 microA at 10mM glucose) and suitable reproducibility from sample-to-sample (<3%, n=4).     

In vitro comparative cytotoxic assessment of pristine and carboxylic functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes on LN18 cells

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been used in biomedical applications due to their ability to enter the cells. Carboxylic functionalization of MWCNT (MWCNT-COOH) is used to mitigate the toxicity of MWCNTs. Our study focuses on comparing the toxicity of MWCNT and MWCNT-COOH on the neuronal cells, LN18. Concentrations of 5, 10, 20, and 40 µg ml⁻¹ were used for the study, and cytotoxicity was determined at 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h of incubation. Cell viability was assessed by Trypan Blue, MTT, and Live dead cell assays, and the oxidative stress produced was determined by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Lipid peroxidation assays. MWCNT-COOH showed higher cell viability than MWCNT for 20 and 40 µg ml⁻¹ at 24 and 48 h. This was also visually observed in the live dead cell imaging. However, at 48 h, the morphology of the cells appeared more stretched for all the concentrations of MWCNT and MWCNT-COOH in comparison to the control. A significant amount of ROS production can also be observed at the same concentration and time. Viability and oxidative stress results together revealed that MWCNT-COOH is less toxic when compared to MWCNT at longer incubation periods and higher concentrations. However, otherwise, the effect of both are comparable. A concentration of 5–10 µg ml⁻¹ is ideal while using MWCNT and MWCNT-COOH as the toxicity is negligible. These findings can further be extended to various functionalizations of MWCNT for wider applications.