Fabrication of a carbon fiber paper as the electrode and its application toward developing a sensitive unmediated amperometric biosensor

Carbon fiber paper (CFP), a material frequently used as the diffusion layer in fuel cells, was found recently to exhibit a potential as an electrode for the development of sensitive, unmediated biosensors. After nitrogen plasma treatment, the CFP exhibited a quasi-reversible behavior to the redox couple (e.g., ferricyanide) with an electron transfer rate constant of 7.2 × 10(-3)cms(-1). This rate constant is approximately double that of a Pt-electrode and is much higher than that of many carbon-based electrodes. The unmediated CFP-based tyrosinase biosensor fabricated for this study exhibited an optimal working potential and operating pH value of -0.2V and 6.5, respectively. Compared to other unmediated tyrosinase biosensors, the CFP-based tyrosinase biosensor offers a high sensitivity for the monitoring of phenolic compounds (17.8, 7.1, 5.2 and 3.7 μA μM(-1)cm(-2) for catechol, phenol, bisphenol and 3-aminophenol, respectively). The lowest detection limit for catechol, phenol, bisphenol and 3-aminophenol was 2, 5, 5 and 12 nM, respectively. Furthermore, this biosensor exhibited a good repeatability, a fast response time (around 10s), and a wide linear dynamic range of detection for phenolic compounds.     

光纤生物传感器及其在微生物检测中的应用

本文介绍了光纤生物传感器的原理,对光纤传感器制作中的工程学和生物学问题进行了探讨并概述了它的应用情况。     

Amperometric glucose biosensor utilizing FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenase immobilized on nanocomposite electrode

Amperometric glucose biosensors utilizing commercially available FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenases from two strains of Aspergillus species are described. Enzymes were immobilized on nanocomposite electrode consisting of multi-walled carbon nanotubes by entrapment between chitosan layers. Unlike the common glucose oxidase based biosensor, the presented biosensors appeared to be O(2)-independent. The optimal amount of enzymes, working potential and pH value of working media of the glucose biosensors were determined. The biosensor utilizing enzyme isolated from Aspergillus sp. showed linearity over the range from 50 to 960 μM and from 70 to 620 μM for enzyme from Aspergillus oryzae. The detection limits were 4.45 μM and 4.15 μM, respectively. The time of response was found to be 60 s. The biosensors showed excellent operational stability - no loss of sensitivity after 100 consecutive measurements and after the storage for 4 weeks at 4 °C in phosphate buffer solution. When biosensors were held in a dessicator at room temperature without use, they kept the same response ability at least after 6 months. Finally, the results obtained from measurements of beverages and wine samples were compared with those obtained with the enzymatic-spectrophotometric and standard HPLC methods, respectively. Good correlation between results in case of analysis of real samples and good analytical performance of presented glucose biosensor allows to use presented concept for mass production and commercial use.     

Genetically engineered microbial biosensors for in situ monitoring of environmental pollution

Microbial biosensors are compact, portable, cost effective, and simple to use, making them seem eminently suitable for the in situ monitoring of environmental pollution. One promising approach for such applications is the fusion of reporter genes with regulatory genes that are dose-dependently responsive to the target chemicals or physiological signals. Their biosensor capabilities, such as target range and sensitivity, could be improved by modification of regulatory genes. Recent uses of such genetically engineered microbial biosensors include the development of portable biosensor kits and high-throughput cell arrays on chips, optic fibers, or other platforms for on-site and on-line monitoring of environmental pollution. This mini-review discusses recent advances in microbial biosensors and their future prospects, with a focus on the development and application of genetically modified microbial biosensors for in situ environmental monitoring.     

Optical fiber enzymatic biosensor for reagentless measurement of ethylene dibromide

A reagentless enzymatic optical biosensor has been constructed to measure the concentration of ethylene dibromide (EDB, 1,2‐dibromoethane), a US EPA Priority Pollutant. This biosensor is based on the haloalkane dehalogenase DhaA, which generates protons as a product of the dehalogenation of EDB. The resulting pH change is detected as a shift in the fluorescence intensity of fluoresceinamine. When layers of fluoresceinamine and Rhodococcus sp. GJ70 expressing DhaA were immobilized on the tip of an optical fiber, the resulting changes in fluorescence were proportional to the EDB concentration in the range 1–10 μg/L and nonlinear (saturation‐type trend) for concentrations up to 10 mg/L. EDB concentrations as low as 1 μg/L could be detected in aqueous solutions. Both the pH and buffer capacity of the sample had significant effects on the sensor's performance. EDB biosensors were active for at least 37 d, although their sensitivity decreased after 7 d. The biosensor's potential to measure continuously and in situ could make it useful for environmental or water treatment process monitoring systems.     

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.     

Development of amperometric α-ketoglutarate biosensor based on ruthenium-rhodium modified carbon fiber enzyme microelectrode

A rapid and highly sensitive miniaturized amperometric biosensor for the detection of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) based on a carbon fiber electrode (CFE) is presented. The biosensor is constructed by immobilizing the enzyme, glutamate dehydrogenase (GLUD) on the surface of single carbon fiber modified by co-deposition of ruthenium (Ru) and rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles. SEM and EDX shed useful insights into the morphology and composition of the modified microelectrode. The mixed Ru/Rh coating offers a greatly enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards the detection of β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), with a substantial decrease in overpotential of ～ 400 mV compared to the unmodified CFE. It also imparts higher stability with minimal surface fouling, common to NADH oxidation. Further modification with the enzyme, GLUD leads to effective amperometric biosensing of α-KG through monitoring of the NADH consumption. A very rapid response to dynamic changes in the α-KG concentrations is observed with a response time of 6s. The current response is linear between 100 and 600 μM with a sensitivity of 42 μAM(-1) and a detection limit of 20 μM. This proof of concept study indicates that the GLUD-Ru/Rh-CFE biosensor holds great promise for real-time electrochemical measurements of α-KG.     

Acetylcholinesterase inhibition-based biosensors for pesticide determination: A review

Pesticides released intentionally into the environment and through various processes contaminate the environment. Although pesticides are associated with many health hazards, there is a lack of monitoring of these contaminants. Traditional chromatographic methods-high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry-are effective for the analysis of pesticides in the environment but have certain limitations such as complexity, time-consuming sample preparation, and the requirement of expensive apparatus and trained persons to operate. Over the past decades, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition-based biosensors have emerged as simple, rapid, and ultra-sensitive tools for pesticide analysis in environmental monitoring, food safety, and quality control. These biosensors have the potential to complement or replace the classical analytical methods by simplifying or eliminating sample preparation and making field-testing easier and faster with significant decrease in cost per analysis. This article reviews the recent developments in AChE inhibition-based biosensors, which include various immobilization methods, different strategies for biosensor construction, the advantages and roles of various matrices used, analytical performance, and application methods for constructing AChE biosensors. These AChE biosensors exhibited detection limits and linearity in the ranges of 1.0×10(-11) to 42.19 μM (detection limits) and 1.0×10(-11)-1.0×10(-2) to 74.5-9.9×10(3)μM (linearity). These biosensors were stable for a period of 2 to 120days. The future prospects for the development of better AChE biosensing systems are also discussed.     

Silver nanoparticles/multiwalled carbon nanotube/polyaniline film for amperometric glutathione biosensor

A new silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)/carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNT)/polyaniline (PANI) film has been synthesized on Au electrode using electrochemical techniques. The enzyme glutathione oxidase (GSHOx) (EC 1.8.3.3) was immobilized covalently on the surface of AgNPs/c-MWCNT/PANI/Au electrode to construct the glutathione biosensor. The modified electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry. The biosensor showed optimum response within 4s at +0.4V vs. Ag/AgCl, pH 6.0 and 35 °C, with a linear working range of 0.3-3500 μM and a detection limit of 0.3 μM. The glutathione biosensor was employed for measurement of glutathione content in hemolysated erythrocyte (RBC). The sensor was evaluated with 97.77% and 99.16% recovery of added glutathione in hemolysated RBC and 2.4% and 6.3% within and between batch coefficients of variation (CVs) respectively. The enzyme electrode lost 50% of its initial activity after 300 uses over a period of 3 months, when stored at 4 °C. The biosensor has the advantages over earlier biosensors in terms of greater stability, lower response time and no interference by a number of RBC hemolysate substances.     

Gold-coated silica-fiber hybrid materials for application in a novel hydrogen peroxide biosensor

We describe the preparation and characterization of a novel type of core-shell hybrid material for application in a novel hydrogen peroxide biosensor, where the structure consists of a continuous gold shell that encapsulates the silica fiber. The SiO(2)@Au nanofibers had been synthesized by electrospinning silica sol, and then golden seeds were in situ grown on the fiber, lastly the gold-seeded silica fibers were further coated by continuous gold shells. The above nanocomposites had satisfactory chemical stability, excellent biocompatibility and efficient electron transfer property, which may have potential application for the highly sensitive chemical or biological sensors. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the SiO(2)@Au nanocomposites at indium tin oxide (ITO). The biosensor showed high sensitivity and fast response upon the addition of H(2)O(2) and the linear range to H(2)O(2) was from 5×10(-6) to 1.0×10(-3)M with a detection limit of 2 μM (S/N=3). The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant of the biosensor was 1.11 mmol L(-1). These results indicated that SiO(2)@Au nanocomposites have potential for constructing of a variety of electrochemical biosensors.     

Development of a Fiber Optic Enzymatic Biosensor for 1,2-dichloroethane

There is a significant need for devices capable of measuring water contaminant concentrations in situ––continuously, rapidly, and without reagents, extraction, or other pretreatment. Toward this goal, we constructed and tested fiber optic biosensors for measurement of 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA) in aqueous solutions. The biocomponent was the haloalkane dehalogenase, DhlA, in whole cells of Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10. These cells were immobilized in calcium alginate on the tip of a fiber optic fluoresceinamine-based pH optode. The resulting biosensor could quantify DCA at 11 mg/l and had a linear response up to at least 65 mg/l. Total signal change was reached in 8–10 min, and measurements were reproducible (SE <9%). The sensor’s small size, potential for remote operation, and low cost make it of interest for further development.     

Offline glucose biomonitoring in yeast culture by polyamidoamine/cysteamine-modified gold electrodes

This article deals with the use of pyranose oxidase (PyOx) and glucose oxidase (GOx) enzymes in amperometric biosensor design and their application in monitoring fermentation processes with the combination of flow injection analysis (FIA). The amperometric studies were carried out at -0.7 V by following the oxygen consumption due to the enzymatic reactions for both batch and FIA modes. Optimization studies (enzyme amounts and pH) and analytical parameters such as linearity, repeatability, effect of interference, storage, and operational stabilities have been studied. Under optimized conditions, for the PyOx-based biosensor, linear graph was obtained from 0.025 to 0.5 mM glucose in phosphate buffer (50 mM) at pH 7.0 with the equation of y = 3.358x + 0.028 and R(2) = 0.998. Linearity was found to be 0.01-1.0 mM in citrate buffer (50 mM and pH 4.0) with the equation of y = 1.539x + 0.181 and R(2) = 0.992 for the GOx biosensor. Finally, these biosensor configurations were further evaluated in a conventional flow injection system. Results from batch experiments provide a guide to design sensitive, stable, and interference-free biosensors for FIA mode. Biosensor stability, dynamic range, and repeatability were also studied in FIA conditions, and the applicability for the determination of glucose in fermentation medium could be successfully demonstrated. The FIA-combined glucose biosensor was used for the offline monitoring of yeast fermentation. The obtained results correlated well with HPLC measurements.     

Optical detection of choline and acetylcholine based on H₂O₂-sensitive quantum dots

In this paper, we have constructed a simple, rapid and sensitive biosensor for detection of choline and acetylcholine (ACh) based on the hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-sensitive quantum dots (QDs). The detection limit for choline was 0.1 μM and the linear range was 0.1-0.9 μM and 5-150 μM, respectively. The detection limit for ACh was found to be 10 μM and the linear range was 10-5000 μM. The wide linear ranges were shown to be suitable for routine analyses of choline and ACh. Possible mechanism of the fluorescence of QDs quenched by H(2)O(2) was an electron transfer (ET) process. The experimental conditions of biosensors were optimized, and anti-interference ability was also presented. We also detected the choline in milk samples and the linear range was 5-150 μM. The detection linear range of ACh in serum was 10-140 μM. Most importantly, the recovery of choline in milk and ACh in serum samples were both close to 99%. The excellent performance of this biosensor showed that the method can be used in practice detection of choline and ACh.     

Optical microbial biosensor for detection of methyl parathion pesticide using Flavobacterium sp. whole cells adsorbed on glass fiber filters as disposable biocomponent

An optical microbial biosensor was described for the detection of methyl parathion pesticide. Whole cells of Flavobacterium sp. were immobilized by trapping in glass fiber filter and were used as biocomponent along with optic fiber system. Flavobacterium sp. has the organophosphorus hydrolase enzyme, which hydrolyzes the methyl parathion into detectable product p-nitrophenol. The immobilized microbial biocomponent was disposable, cost-effective and showed high reproducibility and uniformity. The detection of methyl parathion by the use of disposable microbial biocomponent with optical biosensor was simple, single step and direct measurement of very low quantity of the sample. The home made reaction vessel was small and needed only 75 microl of sample. A lower detection limit 0.3 microM methyl parathion was estimated from the linear range (4-80 microM) of calibration plot of organophosphorus hydrolase enzymatic assay. The applicability to synthetic methyl parathion spiked samples was demonstrated.     

A novel FRET-based optical fiber biosensor for rapid detection of Salmonella typhimurium

A biosensor that is portable and permits on-site analysis of samples would significantly reduce the large economical burden of food products recalls. A fiber optic portable biosensor utilizing the principle of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was developed for fast detection of Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) in ground pork samples. Labeled antibody-protein G complexes were formed via the incubation of anti-Salmonella antibodies labeled with FRET donor fluorophores (Alexa Fluor 546) and protein G (PG) labeled with FRET acceptor fluorophores (Alexa Fluor 594). Utilizing silanization, the labeled antibodies-PG complexes were then immobilized on decladded, tapered silica fiber cores to form the evanescent wave-sensing region. The biosensors were tested in two different solutions: (1) PBS doped with S. typhimurium and (2) homogenized pork sample with S. typhimurium. The fiber probes tested in a S. typhimurium doped phosphate buffered solution demonstrated the feasibility of the biosensor for detecting S. typhimurium as well as determined the optimal packing density of the labeled antibody-PG complexes on the surface of fibers. The results showed that a packing density of 0.033 mg/ml produced the lowest limit of detection of 10(3)cells/ml with 8.2% change in fluorescence. The fiber probes placed in homogenized pork samples inoculated with S. typhimurium showed a limit of detection of 10(5)CFU/g with a 6.67% in fluorescence within a 5-min response time. These results showed that the FRET-based fiber optic biosensor can become a useful analytical tool for detection of S. typhimurium in real food samples.     

Glucose biosensor based on nanohybrid material of gold nanoparticles and glucose oxidase on a bioplatform

A simple and relatively cheap glucose biosensor based on a combination of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and glucose oxidase (GO(x) ) immobilized on a bioplatform eggshell membrane was established. Scanning electron microscopy showed successful immobilization of Au NPs/GO(x) on the eggshell membrane. The effects of pH, phosphate buffer concentration, and temperature on the glucose biosensor were studied in detail. The biosensor shows a linear response at a glucose concentration range of 5-525 μM. The detection limit of the biosensor is 2.5 μM (S/N = 3). The biosensor exhibits good repeatability with RSD = 3.6% (n = 6), good operational stability with over 300 measurements and long-term storage stability with a shelf life of at least 6 months. The response time is less than 60 s. The glucose level in commercial food samples has been successfully determined. The proposed work shows potential to develop cost-effective biosensors for biotechnological, biomedical and industrial use.     

Amperometric determination of lysine using a lysine oxidase biosensor based on rigid-conducting composites

In this study, amperometric biosensors based on rigid conducting composites are developed for the determination of lysine. These lysine biosensors consist of chemically immobilized lysine oxidase membranes attached to either graphite-methacrylate or peroxidase-modified graphite-methacrylate electrodes. The enzymatic degradation of lysine releases hydrogen peroxide, which is the basis of the amperometric detection. The direct oxidation of hydrogen peroxide is monitored at +1000 mV with a graphite-methacrylate electrode, while with the peroxidase-modified electrode reductive detection is performed. In addition, for the peroxidase-modified biocomposite electrode, both direct electron transfer and hydroquinone-mediated detection are studied. For the lysine biosensor based on the hydroquinone-mediated peroxidase biocomposite, the linear range is up to 1.6 x 10(-4) M, the sensitivity 11300 microA/M, the repeatability 1.8%, the detection limit 8.2 x 10(-7) M and the response time t95% is 42 s. The proposed biosensors are used to determine lysine in pharmaceutical samples. Results are consistent with those obtained with the standard method.     

Nano polyurethane-assisted ultrasensitive biodetection of H(2)O(2) over immobilized microperoxidase-11

Nanostructured polyurethane (PU) synthesized by an emulsion polymerization with narrow size distribution was employed for the first time directly as a novel matrix for enzyme immobilization to develop sensitively amperometric biosensors. When Microperoxidase-11 (MP-11) was selected as a model protein, the resulting hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) biosensor exhibited improved sensitivity of 29.6μAmM(-1)cm(-2) with quite good response time of (1.3±0.4)s and remarkable limit of detection as low as 10pM (S/N 3) over existing protocols. A linear calibration curve for hydrogen peroxide was obtained up to 1.3μM under the optimized conditions with a relative low calculated Michaelis-Menten constant (K(M)(app)) (1.87±0.05)μM, which indicated the enhanced enzymatic affinity of MP-11 to H(2)O(2) via PU. The possible interferents had negligible effect on the response current and time of the prepared biosensor. Results suggest that the PU nanoparticles (PU-NPs) with good biocompatibility and sufficient interfacial adhesion hold promise as an attractive support material for construction of ultrasensitive amperometric biosensor.     

Heavy metal determination by biosensors based on enzyme immobilised by electropolymerisation

The work describes the original application of biosensors based on enzyme immobilised by electropolymerisation to heavy metal determination. An inhibition detection scheme has been employed for detecting Hg2+ by an established glucose biosensor based on glucose oxidase immobilised in poly-o-phenylenediamine. The investigated enzymatic inhibition appears reversible and mixed, in agreement with data for the enzyme in solution. A low response time (<2 min) and a rapid recovery of response by EDTA seem the most interesting characteristics of the proposed biosensor at the present stage of development, along with the well known easy preparation of this kind of biosensors. The occurrence of a high response also for Cu2+ opens the possibility to apply the biosensor in total toxic metal content determination.     

Molecular beacons for DNA biosensors with micrometer to submicrometer dimensions

Ultrasensitive molecular beacon (MB) DNA biosensors, with micrometer to submicrometer sizes, have been developed for DNA/RNA analysis. The fluorescence-based biosensors have been applied in DNA/ RNA detection without the need for a dye-labeled target molecule or an intercalation reagent in the testing solution. Molecular beacons are hairpin-shaped oligonucleotides that report the presence of specific nucleic acids. We have designed a surface-immobilizable biotinylated ssDNA molecular beacon for DNA hybridization at a liquid-solid interface. The MBs have been immobilized onto ultrasmall optical fiber probes through avidin-biotin binding. The MB DNA biosensor has been used directly to detect, in real time, its target DNA molecules without the need for a competitive assay. The biosensor is stable and reproducible. The MB DNA biosensor has selectivity with single base-pair mismatch identification capability. The concentration detection limits and mass detection limits are 0.3 nM and 15 amol for a 105-microm biosensor, and 10 nM and 0.27 amol for a submicrometer biosensor, respectively. We have also prepared molecular beacon DNA biosensor arrays for simultaneous analysis of multiple DNA sequences in the same solution. The newly developed DNA biosensors have been used for the precise quantification of a specific rat gamma-actin mRNA sequence amplified by the polymerase chain reaction.