Method for determination of fluoroquinolones based on the plasmonic interaction between their fluorescent terbium complexes and silver nanoparticles

We report on a fluorometric method for the determination of the fluoroquinolones levofloxacin (LEV) and moxifloxacin (MOXI). It is based on the Tb(III)-sensitized luminescence that is plasmonically enhanced by silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The emission of the Tb(III) complexes has maximum at 545?nm after excitation at 284?nm and is strongly enhanced in the presence of the colloidal Ag NPs. Under optimum experimental conditions, luminescence intensity increases linearly with the concentration in the range from 4.16?×?10^-17-3.59?×?10^-15?M of LEV, and from 4.98?×?10^-17-2.49?×?10^-15?M for MOXI with correlation coefficients of 0.9996 and 0.9996, respectively. The limits of detection are 7.19?×?10^-18?M and 8.47?×?10^-18?M, respectively, and the relative standard deviations are 1.3 and 1.5% for 5 replicate measurements at 6.08?×?10^-14?M of LEV and 5.48?×?10^-14?M of MOXI. The method was successfully applied to the determination of LEV and MOXI in pharmaceutical samples, in urine and in serum.

Sensitive and efficient determination of gabapentin in human serum based on capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

A sensitive and efficient analytical method for gabapentin (GBP) in human serum based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection has been established. 6-Oxy-(N-succinimidyl acetate)-9-(2′-methoxycarbonyl) fluorescein (SAMF), a new synthesized fluorescent reagent, was used for precolumn derivatization of the non-fluorescent drug in serum. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) was used as an internal standard (I.S.). The best derivative condition was obtained in phosphate buffer (pH 8) at room temperature for 10 min. Optimal separation and detection were obtained with a background electrolyte (BGE) of 3.5 × 10^?2 M phosphate buffer (pH 5.5) and laser-induced fluorescence detection excited at 473 nm. The method developed for GBP was linear over the concentration range of 4.0 × 10^?9 to 4.0 × 10-7 M. The concentration limit of detection was 2.0 × 10^?10 M (signal-to-noise ratio = 3). The sensitive method was used for the determination of GBP in serum samples.     

Electrochemical determination of acetaminophen in the presence of propranolol using an electrode modified with a Schiff base from 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde and ethylenediamine and multi-walled carbon nanotubes

A carbon paste electrode, modified with N,N′-bis-(2-hydroxy-1-naphthalidene)ethylenediamine and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (HNED-MWCNPE), was used for the determination of acetaminophen (ACOP) and propranolol (PP). Cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronocoulometry, chronoamperometry and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques were employed to study electro-oxidation of ACOP. The results revealed that the modified electrode showed an electrocatalytic activity toward the anodic oxidation of acetaminophen by a marked enhancement in the current response in buffered solution at pH 8.0. Some kinetic parameters such as the electron transfer coefficient (α) were also determined for the ACOP oxidation. The linear concentration range of 1 × 10^?3?1 × 10^?6 M with a detection limit of 4.6 × 10^?8 M (n = 16) for ACOP was obtained using DPV (pH 8.0). The modified electrode shows good sensitivity, selectivity and stability. The prepared electrode was also applied for the determination of ACOP in human blood serum.     

Electrochemical study of vinylsulphone azo dye Reactive Black 5 and its determination at a glassy carbon electrode

The electrochemical oxidation of vinylsulphone azo dye, Reactive Black 5 (RB5), at a glassy carbon electrode has been carried out in phosphate buffer solutions in the pH range 2.85?C11.79 employing cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). RB5 showed one well-defined oxidation peak at 0.560 V vs. Ag-AgCl using DPV. The oxidation process was shown to be irreversible over the pH range 2.85?C8.39 and was diffusion controlled. The linear relationship between the peak current height and RB5 concentrations allowed the differential pulse voltammetric determination of the dye over a wide concentration range, from 6.0 × 10^?7 to 1.5 × 10^?6 M with a detection limit of 4.0 × 10^?7 M. The precision and recovery did not exceed 4.9 and 98.2%, respectively. A UV-Vis spectrophotometry method was also proposed for the determination of the RB5 in concentration range from 5.0 × 10^?6 M to 1.0 × 10^?5 M at ??_max = 600 nm with limit of detection of 4.7 × 10^?6 M and RSD of 1.8% for RB5 concentration of 1.0 × 10^?5 M.     

Spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of uric acid in human serum

A new spectrofluorimetric method is described for the determination of uric acid (UA), that can remarkably reduce the fluorescence intensity of the enoxacin (ENX)-terbium ion (Tb³⁺) complex at 545 nm. The reduced fluorescence intensity of Tb³⁺ ion at pH 5.7 is proportional to the concentration of UA. Optimum conditions for the determination of UA have been investigated. The linear range and detection limit for the determination of UA are 6.0 × 10^?7–3.0 × 10^?5 M and 1 × 10^?7 M, respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was 0.4% for 6 × 10^?6 M UA (n = 11). The method is simple, practical and relatively free of interferences. It has been successfully applied to assess UA in serum at the level of 3 × 10^?4 M with an RSD of 5–7% (n = 3). The results were evaluated by comparison with a common clinical spectrophotometric method using phosphotungstic acid as developer.     

Iron(III) selective fluorescence probe based on perylene tetracarboxylic diimide

Responses of organic fluorophore, perylenediimide derivative N,N′-di[3-[2-(3-thienyl)ethyl]phenyl]perylene-3,4,9,10-bis-(dicarboxyimide) (PDI1) was investigated in polymer matrix of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by emission spectrometry. Its response to Fe(III) ions was evaluated in terms of the effect of pH. The properties of time dependent response, reversibility, limit of detection, linear concentration range for the metal ion and repeatability characteristics of the sensing element also have been studied. The offered sensor exhibited remarkable fluorescence intensity quenching at pH 6.0 in the concentration range of 1 × 10^?6 to 2.5 × 10^?3 M Fe(III) ions. The reproducibility of the sensor membrane was investigated by alternately changing the solution between 1 × 10^?4 M Fe(III) in Na₂HPO₄ (4 × 10^?2 M) and NaH₂PO₄ buffer (2 × 10^?3 M).     

Determination of levofloxacin in chicken tissue,manure and serum by self-ordered ring fluorescent microscopic imaging

Based on the self-ordered ring (SOR) fluorescent microscopic imaging technique on a hydrophobic glass slide with Mn²⁺ and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTMAB) as sensitizer, poly(vinyl alcohol)-124 (PVA-124) and NH₃-NH₄Cl buffer (pH 9.30) as the medium, a method has been developed for determining levofloxacin (LVFX) residues in chicken tissue, chicken manure and the concentrations in chicken serum. Sample preparation used the PBS and acetic acid-methanol as extracting agents for chicken breast muscle, liver and manure, respectively, the protein from chicken serum samples was removed with methanol. When the droplet volume is 0.2 μL, LVFX in the range of 5.7 × 10^?14?1.0 × 10^?13 mol/ring can be detected, and the limit of detection (LOD) can reach 5.7 × 10^?15 mol/ring (2.8 × 10^?8 M). Compared to reference [16], the sensitivity of SOR method enhances 1.7 times. It is a viable method for the determination of LVFX in chiken samples with the recoveries of 90.0–104.1% and relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 3.6%. The results indicate that the method applied to chicken tissue, manure and serum is reliable and applicable.     

Colorimetric and visual determination of melamine by exploiting the conformational change of hemin G-quadruplex-DNAzyme

We report on the detection of trace quantities of melamine (MA) by a colorimetric method that exploits the conformational change of hemin G-quadruplex-DNAzyme. The addition of MA to hemin G-quadruplex-DNAzyme structure containing thymine bases causes the thymine in the DNAzyme to interact with MA via a stable triple H-bond and leads to a conformational change. This, in turn, affects the peroxidase-like activity of hemin which is determined colorimetrically at 450 nm by adding 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine and hydrogen peroxide. The method was applied to the colorimetric determination of MA over a wide range of concentrations (0.2 to 24 μM) with a detection limit of 80 nM. The effect also can be detected with bare eyes. The method was successfully applied to the determination of MA in spiked milk powder.

Nickel hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles/nano silver coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite for the detection of hydrogen peroxide

A new nanocomposite was developed by combination of nickel hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles (NiNP) and nano silver coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (nano Ag-MWNTs). The NiNP/nano Ag-MWNTs nanocomposite was charactered by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The NiNP/nano Ag-MWNTs nanocomposite modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode was used to investigate the electrochemical reduction of hydrogen peroxide. The results showed that NiNP and nano Ag-MWNTs provided the synergistic effect toward this process. The obtained NiNP/nano Ag-MWNTs/GC electrode showed a wide linear response range of 1 × 10^?6 to 1 × 10^?4 and 5 × 10^?4 to 0.01 M hydrogen peroxide with correlation coefficients of 0.998 and 0.997, fast response time (2 s), and good selectivity toward the electrocatalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide. The detection limit (S/N = 3) of hydrogen peroxide was 5 × 10^?7 M.     

Determination of cadmium(II) using glassy carbon electrodes modified with cupferron, ß-naphthol, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes

We report on a simple and reliable method for the determination of trace cadmium ion using a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with cupferron, ß-naphthol and MWCNTs. The operational mechanism consists of several steps: first, the ligand cupferron on the modified electrode reacts with Cd²⁺ ion to form a chelate compound. Next, this chelate is adsorbed by the carrier ß-naphthol following the principle of organic co-precipitation. Finally, the coprecipitated complex is detected by the GCE. This scheme is interesting because it combines preconcentration and electrochemical detection. Two linear responses are obtained, one in the concentration range of 5.0?×?10^?11 to 1.6?×?10^?8 M, the other in the range of 1.6?×?10^?8 to 1.42?×?10^?6 M, with a lower detection limit of 1.6?×?10^?11 M. This modified GCE does not suffer from significant interferences by Cu(II), Hg(II), Ag(I), Fe(III), Pb(II), Cr(III), Zn(II), NO^3?, Cl^?, SO ₄ ^2? ions and EDTA. The response of the electrode remained constant for at least 3 weeks of successive operation. The method presented here provides a new way for the simultaneous separation, enrichment, and electrochemical detection of trace cadmium ion.

Ion selective electrode for uranium based on composite multiwalled carbon nanotube-benzo-15-crown-5 in PVC matrix coated on graphite rod

Development of a composite multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5) as ionophore sensor responsive to uranyl ion is described. The composite MWNT-PVC membrane containing the active ingredients was casted on the surface of a graphite rod. The sensor incorporates B15C5 as electroactive material, ortho-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE) as a plasticizer and sodium tetraphenyl borate (NaTPB) as an ion discriminator. The sensor displays a rapid and linear response over the concentration range of 1 × 10^?1 to 1 × 10^?7 M with a slope of 29.9 ± 0.4 mV per decade. The detection limit of this electrode was found to be 5.4 × 10^?8 M and the working pH range is from 2.5 to 4.5. Interference from many inorganic cations viz. Na⁺, K⁺, Sr²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Fe³⁺ is negligible for the sensor. Application to the determination of uranium in ores and effluent samples gives results with good correlation which are comparable with data obtained by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The electrode has been characterized using surface techniques.     

Through bond mechanism versus exciplex formation in the photochemistry of fullerene / ferrocene donor-bridge-acceptor dyads

A systematic fluorescence and flash photolytic investigation of a series of covalently linked fullerene / ferrocene based donor-bridge-acceptor dyads is reported as a function of the nature of the bridge between the donor site and acceptor site. The fluorescence of the investigated dyads 2 (Φ_rel = 0.17 × 10^?4, 3 (Φ_rel = 0.78 × 10^?4), 4 (Φ_rel = 1.5 × 10^?4), 5 (Φ_rel = 0.7 × 10^?4), and 6 (Φ_rel = 2.9 × 10^?4) were substantially quenched, relative to N-methyl fulleropyrrolidine (1) (Φ_rel = 6.0 × 10^?4). Photolysis of N-methyl fulleropyrrolidine (1) in toluene revealed formation of the excited singlet state which was followed by a rapid intersystem crossing to the excited triplet state. On the other hand, the fate of the excited singlet state of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 was found to be governed by rapid intramolecular quenching, with rate constants of 28×10⁹ s^?1, 6.9×10⁹ s^?1, and 3.4×10⁹ s^?1, 14×10⁹ s^?1, 2.3×10⁹ s^?1 respectively. The electron transfer process and the charge separation were confirmed by monitoring the characteristic π-radical anion bands at λ_max = 400 and 1055 nm in degassed benzonitrile with τ_1/2 = 1.8 μs (3) and 2.5 μs (4).     

Experimental design as an optimization approach for fabrication a new selective sensor for thallium(I) based on calix[6]arene

The performance of a new membrane sensor based on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for Tl(I) assay was investigated using the statistical design as an optimization strategy. The Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken designs, respectively, were utilized to find out the influencing variables and optimization of conditions. In order to evaluate the relationship between the responses of electrode (slope) and significant variables along with their interactions, a mathematical model was presented. The interactions between significant variables were intuitively illustrated according to the response surface plots. Apart from that, the optimum conditions as a result of response surface methodology for both membrane ingredients and measuring conditions such as pH, PVC, internal solution concentration, calix[6]arene, 2-nitrophenyloctylether, potassium tetrakis-(p-chlorophenyl)borate and time conditioning, respectively, were found to be: 6, 0.028 g, 0.001 M, 0.0035 g, 0.065 g, 0.0015 g and 20 h. The optimized sensor exhibits a Nernstian response for thallium(I) over a wide linear range from 2.0 × 10^?6 to 2.0 × 10^?2 M and the slope of 57.9 ± 0.1 mV/decade of the activity and limit of detection (LOD) 1.9 × 10^?5 M. The relative standard deviations (RSD) for six replicates of the measurement at 1 × 10^?5 and 1 × 10^?5 M of Tl(I) were 2.7 and 3.0%, respectively. The favorable results were given through the direct determination of Tl(I) in spiked wastewater and artificial spiked urine sample with Tl(I). The electrode was also successfully applied to the titration of a Tl(I) solution with KI.     

Accurate determination of the length of carbon nanotubes using multi-angle light scattering

We have prepared a kind of molecularly imprinted nano-porous sensing film for the adsorption of melamine. It consists of a graphite electrode impregnated with paraffin and modified with melamine, chitosan, silver nanoparticles and polyquercetin by employing an electrochemical method. The film displays excellent and highly selective sorption of melamine in the 3-dimensional porous nanomaterial, and this was applied to the determination of melamine in dairy products. The electrode responds linearly to melamine in the concentration range of 1?×?10^?8 to 9?×?10^?7?M, with a detection limit of 1.3?×?10^?9?M (at 3??) in real samples, and with recoveries in the range of 99 to 102%. The surface structure and composition of the sensor was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and electrochemical techniques. The interaction between the porous film and melamine was also studied by using hexacyanoferrate (III) as an electrochemical indicator.

Glutamate sol-gel amperometric biosensor based on co-immobilised NADP+ and glutamate dehydrogenase

In this work the preparation and electrochemical characterisation of a new glutamate amperometric sol-gel biosensor is described. A carbon paste electrode was electrochemically modified with the phenothiazine dye methylene green (MG). The NADP⁺ and glutamate dehydrogenase were co-immobilised in a sol-gel matrix. When coupled to a flow injection system (FIA) the biosensor showed good electrocatalytic activity towards NADPH oxidation at the potential of + 0.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl; KCl sat., which represents a strong overpotential reduction. The biosensor yielded a linear response from 5.0 × 10^?5 to 1.0 × 10^?2 M glutamate concentration, with a detection limit of 5 × 10^?6 M and reproducibility of results better than 2.3% (RSD). Moreover, the implemented biosensor showed to be still useful after 7 months, 500 determinations.     

Novel glucose biosensor based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with hollow gold nanoparticles and glucose oxidase

A novel glucose biosensor is presented as that based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with hollow gold nanoparticles (HGNs) and glucose oxidase. The sensor exhibits a better differential pulse voltammetric response towards glucose than the one based on conventional gold nanoparticles of the same size. This is attributed to the good biological conductivity and biocompatibility of HGNs. Under the optimal conditions, the sensor displays a linear range from 2.0?×?10^?6 to 4.6?×?10^?5?M of glucose, with a detection limit of 1.6?×?10^?6?M (S/N?=?3). Good reproducibility, stability and no interference make this biosensor applicable to the determination of glucose in samples such as sports drinks.

Ultra-sensitive electrochemical DNA biosensor based on signal amplification using gold nanoparticles modified with molybdenum disulfide,graphene and horseradish peroxidase

We have developed an ultra-sensitive electrochemical DNA biosensor by assembling probe ssDNA on a glassy carbon electrode modified with a composite made from molybdenum disulfide, graphene, chitosan and gold nanoparticles. A thiol-tagged DNA strand coupled to horseradish peroxidase conjugated to AuNP served as a tracer. The nanocomposite on the surface acts as relatively good electrical conductor for accelerating the electron transfer, while the enzyme tagged gold nanoparticles provide signal amplification. Hybridization with the target DNA was studied by measuring the electrochemical signal response of horseradish peroxidase using differential pulse voltammetry. The calibration plot is linear in the 5.0?×?10^?14 and 5.0?×?10^?9 M concentration range, and the limit of detection is 2.2?×?10^?15 M. The biosensor displays high selectivity and can differentiate between single-base mismatched and three-base mismatched sequences of DNA. The approach is deemed to provide a sensitive and reliable tool for highly specific detection of DNA.

Study on electrochemical profiles of Valeriana medicinal plants by capillary electrophoresis

The objective of this work was to develop a high-performance capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection (CE-AD) method for the determination of pharmacologically active ingredients in extracts of Valeriana medicinal plants. The method was validated for linearity, repeatability, limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs), etc. The LODs and LOQs of eight compounds were found to be in the range from 1.0 × 10^?8 to 1.2 × 10^?7 and 3.3 × 10^?8 to 4.0 × 10^?7 g/mL, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the analyses and comparison of bioactive components in Valeriana samples after a relatively simple extraction procedure, and the resultant “electrochemical profiles” can intuitively demonstrate the content diversity of each electrochemically active ingredient in Valeriana samples from different places and plant parts. It was found the content of bioactive ingredients may vary by an order of magnitude depending on natural conditions, e.g. soil, climate, humidity etc.     

Voltammetric determination of theophylline in pharmaceutical formulations using aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) film modified electrode

A novel rapid, convenient and sensitive electrochemical method has been described for the determination of theophylline in pharmaceutical formulations, based on the extraordinary properties of an aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) thin film. The voltammetric results suggest that the ACNTs-coated glass carbon electrode can exhibit excellent electrochemical activity for direct electrochemical oxidation of theophylline. Various experimental parameters such as solution pH value, amount of ACNTs suspension, accumulation conditions and scan rate were optimized for the determination of theophylline. Furthermore, it was found that the peak current increased linearly with the concentration of theophylline in the range of 8.0 × 10^?8?1.0 × 10^?5 M and the detection limit was 1.6 × 10^?8 M using differential pulse voltammetry. This newly proposed method has been applied successfully to the determination of theophylline in drugs.     

Electrochemical genosensor for detection of human mammaglobin in polymerase chain reaction amplification products of breast cancer patients

Human mammaglobin (MG) has been found to be the most specific molecular marker for the hematogenous spread of breast cancer cells. In our study, an electrochemical impedance spectroscopic DNA biosensor was established for the detection of MG in breast cancer patients. The working conditions for the biosensor, such as immobilization time, rinse process, and hybridization process, were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the charge transfer resistance of the proposed DNA biosensor shows excellent correlation with the amount of the complementary oligonucleotides in the range from 1.0?×?10^?9 to 2.0?×?10^?8?M. The detection limit is 5.0?×?10^?10?M. The proposed biosensor was used to detect the polymerase chain reaction amplification products of actual clinical breast cancer samples. The results were compared with that obtained by conventional gel electrophoresis. The results indicate that the electrochemical impedance spectroscopic assay is significantly sensitive and time-saving. The simple strategy described here is expected to be used in clinical application for early diagnosis of breast cancer.