Continuous Amperometric Determination of Glucose Using an Immobilized Enzyme Reactor in Combination with an Immersible Dialysis Probe

Abstract

Glucose was continuously determined by reaction in a packed-bed enzyme reactor containing glucose oxidase and catalase. Oxygen consumption was measured amperometrically with a polarographic Clark electrode. Glucose was sampled through a dialysis probe immersed in the solution to be measured. An extension of the normal range for the enzyme was achieved by modulating the flow rate through the dialysis probe and a linear response was obtained in the range of 1.0-60 mM glucose. The correlation between the glucose transfer and the membrane area of the dialysis probe was also studied. Six different membranes were used, all showing variations in the adhesion of yeast cells.     

Enzyme-Based Fiber Optic Sensor for Glucose Determination

Abstract

A new fiber-optic probe for the determination of glucose is developed. Glucose oxidase is immobilized on a preactivated Immunodyne membrane by direct application of the enzymatic solution to one side of the membrane. The membrane is then placed around the common end of a bifurcated glass fiber optic bundle, and immersed in the sample cell which contains the glucose sample, peroxidase and a colorless dye. Glucose is quantified by the color change when the reaction takes place.     

Characterisation of membrane surfaces: direct measurement of biological adhesion using an atomic force microscope

An atomic force microscope (AFM) in conjunction with coated colloid probe and cell probe techniques has been used to measure directly the adhesive force between both the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) and a yeast cell at two different membranes. These were polymeric ultrafiltration membranes of similar MWCO (4000 Da) but of different materials (ES 404 and XP 117, PCI Membrane Systems, UK). The XP 117 membrane is made from a mixture of polymers chosen with the aim of achieving low fouling. The BSA was adsorbed on a 5 μm silica colloid probe formed from a tipless V-shaped AFM cantilever. The cell probe was created by immobilising a single yeast cell on such a tipless cantilever. Measurements were made in 10⁻² M NaCl solution. It was found for both protein and cell systems that the adhesive force at the ES 404 membrane was greater than that at the XP 117 membrane. The paper shows that coated colloid probe and cell probe techniques can provide useful means of directly quantifying the adhesion of biological materials to membrane surfaces.     

Membrane dynamics of differentiating cultured embryonic chick skeletal muscle cells by fluorescence microscopy techniques

Changes in membrane fluidity during myogenesis have been studied by fluorescence microscopy of individual cells growing in monolayer cultures of embryonic chick skeletal muscle cells. Membrane fluidity was determined by the techniques of fluorescence photobleaching recovery (FPR), with the use of a lipid-soluble carbocyanine dye, and by fluorescence depolarization (FD), with perylene used as the lipid probe. The fluidity of myoblast plasma membranes, as determined from FPR measurements in membrane areas above nuclei, increased during the period of myoblast fusion and then returned to its initial level. The membrane fluidity of fibroblasts, also found in these primary cultures, remained constant. The fluidity in specific regions along the length of the myoblast membrane was studied by FD, and it was observed that the extended arms of the myoblast have the highest fluidity on the cell and that the tips at the ends of the arms had the lowest fluidity. However, since the perylene probe used in the FD experiments appeared to label cytoplasmic components, changes in fluidity measured with this probe reflect changes in membrane fluidity as well as in cytoplasmic fluidity. The relative change in each of these compartments cannot yet be ascertained. Tips have specialized surface structures, filopodia and lamellipodia, which may be accompanied by a more immobile membrane as well as a more rigid cytoplasm. Rounded cells, which may also have a more convoluted surface structure, show a lower apparent membrane fluidity than extended cells.     

Fluorescent biomembrane probe for ratiometric detection of apoptosis

Herein, we developed the first ratiometric fluorescent probe for apoptosis detection. This probe incorporates selectively into the outer leaflet of the cell plasma membrane and senses the loss of the plasma membrane asymmetry occurring during the early steps of apoptosis. The high specificity to the plasma membranes was achieved by introduction into the probe of a membrane anchor, composed of a zwitterionic group and a long (dodecyl) hydrophobic tail. The fluorescence reporter of this probe is 4'-(diethylamino)-3-hydroxyflavone, which exhibits excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), resulting in two-band emission highly sensitive to the lipid composition of the biomembranes. Fluorescence spectroscopy, flow cytometry, and microscopy measurements show that the ratio of the two emission bands of the probe changes dramatically in response to apoptosis. This response reflects the changes in the lipid composition of the outer leaflet of the cell plasma membrane because of the exposure of the anionic phospholipids from the inner leaflet at the early steps of apoptosis. Being ratiometric, the response of the new probe can be easily quantified on an absolute scale. This allows monitoring by laser scanning confocal microscopy the degree and spatial distribution of the apoptotic changes at the cell plasma membranes, a feature that can be hardly achieved with the commonly used fluorescently labeled annexin V assay.     

Gravitational effects on transmembrane flux: the rayleigh—taylor convective instability

Using a cell with horizontally mounted membranes, volume flux was measured as a function of gravitational geometry. Water was placed on one side of the membrane. The opposite side of the membrane was exposed to either aqueous glucose solutions, with densities greater than water; or aqueous ethanol, less dense than water; or ethanol—glucose—water solutions. In all cases, the osmotic pressure gradient generated volume flux from water to the solution. No mechanical stirring was used.Experiments were performed first with water above the membrane and the solution below it. They were then repeated with water below and the solution above the membrane. In all cases, volume flux was significantly larger when the denser liquid was above the membrane.Mach—Zehnder interferograms were obtained for the interface region of the water—membrane—0.1 M glucose system, Results show directly that boundary layers are substantially larger and more uniform with the lower-density liquid above the membrane than with the opposite geometry.These experimental findings are interpreted in terms of a convective gravitational instability that reduces boundary layer dimensions and increases volume flux. Following Rayleigh—Tavlor analysis of fluid gravitational stability, a concentration-gradient Rayleigh Number is developed and used in a mathematical model for gravitationally sensitive volume flux.     

Hysteresis in the glucose permeability versus pH characteristic for a responsive hydrogel membrane

A side-by-side diffusion cell was used to study the permeability of glucose through a temperature- and pH-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) hydrogel membrane. At fixed temperature (37°C), lowering pH in one side of the cell induced hydrogel volume collapse and strongly attenuated glucose permeation across the membrane. Hysteresis was observed in the glucose permeability versus pH characteristic.     

Glucose Biosensor With Extended Linearity

Abstract

In this paper we report results of experiments designed to obtain a glucose probe with extended linearity. the general strategy was to interpose a membrane between the sample and the glucose sensor to limit the diffusion of the glucose toward the sensor without affecting the oxygen diffusion.     

3,4,9,10‐Perylenetetracarboxylic Acid/Hemin Nanocomposites Act as Redox Probes and Electrocatalysts for Constructing a Pseudobienzyme‐Channeling Amplified Electrochemical Aptasensor

A simple wet‐chemical strategy for the synthesis of 3,4,9,10‐perylenetetracarboxylic acid (PTCA)/hemin nanocomposites through π–π interactions is demonstrated. Significantly, the hemin successfully conciliates PTCA redox activity with a pair of well‐defined redox peaks and intrinsic peroxidase‐like activity, which provides potential application of the PTCA self‐derived redox activity as redox probes. Additionally, PTCA/hemin nanocomposites exhibit a good membrane‐forming property, which not only avoids the conventional fussy process for redox probe immobilization, but also reduces the participation of the membrane materials that act as a barrier of electron transfer. On the basis of these unique properties, a pseudobienzyme‐channeling amplified electrochemical aptasensor is developed that is coupled with glucose oxidase (GOx) for thrombin detection by using PTCA/hemin nanocomposites as redox probes and electrocatalysts. With the addition of glucose to the electrolytic cell, the GOx on the aptasensor surface bioelectrocatalyzed the reduction of glucose to produce H₂O₂, which in turn was electrocatalyzed by the PTCA/hemin nanocomposites. Cascade schemes, in which an enzyme is catalytically linked to another enzyme, can produce signal amplification and therefore increase the biosensor sensitivity. As a result, a linear relationship for thrombin from 0.005 to 20 nM and a detection limit of 0.001 nM were obtained.     

Activation‐Based Catalase Enzyme Electrode and its Usage for Glucose Determination

Abstract

In this study, a novel type amperometric biosensor, which is based on the activation of catalase enzyme by glucose, was developed and used for the sensitive determination of glucose. For the preparation of the biosensor catalase enzyme was immobilized in gelatin by using cross‐linking agent glutaraldehyde and fixed on a pretreated teflon membrane of a dissolved oxygen probe. Glucose was used as an activator for the catalase enzyme and determination of glucose is based on the assay of the differences on the catalase activity of the biosensor on the oxygenmeter in the absence and the presence of glucose in the reaction medium. The responses of the activation based catalase biosensor have a linear relation to glucose concentrations and good measurement correlation between 0.5 and 5.0 µM with 2 min response time. In the optimization studies of the biosensor the most suitable catalase amount were found as 1324 U cm^?2 and also phosphate buffer (pH: 7.0; 50 mM) and 35°C were obtained as the optimum working conditions. For the characterization studies of the biosensor some parameters such as activator and interference effects of some substances on the biosensor response, reproducibility and operational stability were performed.     

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic measurements of FCCP-induced change in membrane permeability of MDCK cells

This study demonstrates a new electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) method for measurements of the changes in membrane permeability during the process of cell anoxia. Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells were employed as the model cells and were cultured onto gelatin-modified glassy carbon (GC) electrodes. EIS measurements were conducted at the MDCK/gelatin-modified GC electrodes with Fe(CN)(6)(3-/4-) as the redox probe. The anoxia of the cells grown onto electrode surface was induced by the addition of carbonycyanide p-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylhydrazone (FCCP) into the cell culture, in which the MDCK/gelatin-modified GC electrodes were immersed for different times. The EIS results show that the presence of FCCP in the cell culture clearly decreases the charge-transfer resistance of the Fe(CN)(6)(3-/4-) redox probe at the MDCK/gelatin-modified GC electrodes, and the charge-transfer resistance decreases with increasing time employed for immersing the MDCK/gelatin-modified GC electrodes into the cell culture containing FCCP. These results demonstrate that the EIS method could be used to monitor the changes in the cell membrane permeability during the FCCP-induced cell anoxia. To simulate the EIS system, a rational equivalent circuit was proposed and the values of ohmic resistance of the electrolyte, charge-transfer resistance and constant phase elements for both the gelatin and the cell layers are given with the fitting error in an acceptable value. This study actually offers a new and simple approach to measuring the dynamic process of cell death induced by anoxia through monitoring the changes in the cell membrane permeability.     

Automatic enzymatic determination of glucose with a potentiometric sulphur dioxide probe

An automatic, continuous-flow system for the determination of glucose is reported, with a sulphur dioxide probe used as the sensor for an indicator reaction with hydrogensulphite. In the presence of glucose oxidase, glucose is selectively oxidised to produce hydrogen peroxide at a rate proportional to the glucose concentration. The oxidation of hydrogensulphite by the hydrogen peroxide is rapidly monitored by the probe at sampling rates as high as 90 samples per hour. Proteins and reducing substances, such as cysteine, uric acid and ascorbic acid interfere only in large amounts. The method is applicable to biological fluids without prior separation steps.     

A Small‐Molecule FRET Reporter for the Real‐Time Visualization of Cell‐Surface Proteolytic Enzyme Functions

Real‐time imaging of cell‐surface‐associated proteolytic enzymes is critical to better understand their performances in both physiological and pathological processes. However, most current approaches are limited by their complexity and poor membrane‐anchoring properties. Herein, we have designed and synthesized a unique small‐molecule fluorescent probe, which combines the principles of passive exogenous membrane insertion and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to image cell‐surface‐localized furin‐like convertase activities. The membrane‐associated furin‐like enzymatic cleavage of the peptide probe leads to an increased fluorescence intensity which was mainly localized on the plasma membrane of the furin‐expressed cells. This small‐molecule fluorescent probe may serve as a unique and reliable reporter for real‐time visualization of endogenous cell‐surfaceassociated proteolytic furin‐like enzyme functions in live cells and tissues using one‐photon and two‐photon microscopy.     

Nanoscale imaging of domains in supported lipid membranes

The formation of domains in supported lipid membranes has been studied extensively as a model for the 2D organization of cell membranes. The compartmentalization of biological membranes to give domains such as cholesterol-rich rafts plays an important role in many biological processes. This article summarizes experiments from the author's laboratory in which a combination of atomic force microscopy and near-field scanning optical microscopy is used to probe phase separation in supported monolayers and bilayers as models for membrane rafts. These techniques are used to study binary and ternary lipid mixtures that have gel-phase or liquid-ordered domains that vary in size from tens of nanometers to tens of micrometers, surrounded by a fluid-disordered membrane. Examples are presented in which these models are used to investigate the distribution of glycolipid membrane raft markers and the preference for peptide and protein localization in ordered versus fluid membrane phases. Finally, the enzyme-mediated restructuring of membranes containing liquid-ordered domains provides an in vitro model for the coalescence of membrane rafts to give signaling platforms. Overall, the results demonstrate the importance of using techniques that can probe the nanoscale organization of membranes and of combining techniques that yield complementary information. Furthermore, the ability of supported lipid bilayers to model some aspects of membrane compartmentalization provides an important approach to understanding natural membranes.     

Voltammetric evaluation for the binding of wheat germ agglutinin to glucosamine-modified magnetic microbead

Binding of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) on glucosamine-modified magnetic microbeads was investigated with voltammetry. A magnetic bead was considered as a cell, and the beads with amino groups were modified with the sugar by using a cross-linking reagent. To evaluate the binding, glucose labeled with an electroactive daunomycin was prepared as a probe. After WGA and the beads were mixed in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), the labeled glucose was added to the solution. The binding was monitored from the changes in the electrode response of labeled glucose because the labeled glucose was held to the binding site of WGA for the sugar. In contrast, other lectin not having the binding site to glucosamine or glucose was incubated with the glucosamine-modified beads. As a result, the change of peak current was not observed. Therefore, it is clear that the binding of WGA to glucosamine moiety on the bead surface selectively takes place. This method would be powerful for evaluation of interaction between protein and sugar chain existing at cell surface.     

Sensing lymphoma cells based on a cell-penetrating/apoptosis-inducing/electron-transfer peptide probe

To electrochemically sense lymphoma cells (U937), we fabricated a multifunctional peptide probe that consists of cell-penetrating/apoptosis-inducing/electron-transfer peptides. Electron-transfer peptides derive from cysteine residue combined with the C-terminals of four tyrosine residues (Y₄). A peptide whereby Y₄C is bound to the C-terminals of protegrin 1 (RGGRLCYCRRRFCVCVGR-NH₂) is known to be an apoptosis-inducing agent against U937 cells, and is referred to as a peptide-1 probe. An oxidation response of the peptide-1 probe has been observed due to a phenolic hydroxyl group, and this response is decreased by the uptake of the peptide probe into the cells. To improve the cell membrane permeability against U937 cells, the RGGR at the N-terminals of the peptide-1 probe was replaced by RRRR (peptide-2 probe). In contrast, RNRCKGTDVQAWY₄C (peptide-3 probe), which recognizes ovalbumin, was constructed as a control. Compared with the other probes, the change in the peak current of the peptide-2 probe was the greatest at low concentrations and occurred in a short amount of time. Therefore, the cell membrane permeability of the peptide-2 probe was increased based on the arginine residues and the apoptosis-inducing peptides. The peak current was linear and ranged from 100 to 1000 cells/ml. The relative standard deviation of 600 cells/ml was 5.0% (n = 5). Furthermore, the membrane permeability of the peptide probes was confirmed using fluorescent dye.     

An Optical Fibre Probe for the Determination of Glucose Based on Immobilized Glucose Dehydrogenase

Abstract

An optical fibre probe based on glucose dehydrogenase immobilized on nylon was constructed. The probe was used to quantitate glucose through a measurement of the fluorescence of the NADH formed by the enzyme-catalyzed reduction of glucose in the presence of NAD. The probe response was reproducible and displayed good linearity in the concentration range of 1.1 to 11.0 mM glucose. The limit of detection was 0.6 mM glucose. The response was affected by pH and NAD concentration.     

Involvement of mitochondria-caspase pathway in Hemoporfin-mediated cell death

Hemoporfin is a novel second-generation porphyrin-related photosensitizer for ovarian cancer photodynamic treatment (PDT). The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of Hemoporfin-mediated photocytotoxicity. Human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line 3AO was incubated with different concentrations of Hemoporfin, and phototoxic effects of Hemoporfin on cells were determined using a Cell Viability Analyzer. Apoptosis or necrosis was determined by flow cytometry analysis using the Annexin V-FITC apoptosis kit. Cellular caspase activation was determined using the fluorescent assay kit for caspase-3 and caspase-9. Rhodamine123 was used as a mitochondrial probe and Lucifer Yellow as a lysosomal probe to investigate the intracellular localization of Hemoporfin in 3AO cancer cells. We demonstrated that both high-dose (30 microg mL(-1)) and low-dose (3 microg mL(-1)) Hemoporfin significantly reduced the viability of ovarian cancer cell 3AO with light illumination, and the photocytotoxicity was dose-dependent (P < 0.01). Using a mitochondrial fluorescence probe, we demonstrated a distinct mitochondrial aggregation in 3AO cells with a low concentration of Hemoporfin. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential was detected as early as 1 h after Hemoporfin-mediated PDT. PDT with low-dose Hemoporfin predominantly induced apoptosis but not necrosis, and both caspase-3 and caspase-9 were activated. Based on our results, mitochondria play an important role in the Hemoporfin-induced apoptosis, and mitochondria membrane potential loss initiated apoptosis via the activation of caspases. Understanding the mechanisms involved in PDT-mediated apoptosis may improve its therapeutic efficacy and facilitate its transition into the clinic.     

Di-4-ANEPPDHQ probes the response of lipid packing to the membrane tension change in living cells

Membrane tension plays a significant role in many cellular processes including cell adhesion, migration and spreading. Despite the importance of membrane tension, it remains difficult to measure in vivo. Recently, the development of non-invasive fluorescent probes have made great progress, especially excitedstate deplanarization in molecular rotors has been applied to image membrane tension in living cells.Nevertheless, an intrinsic limitation of such kind of probe is that they depend on the lip...     

Au Nanowires-MWCNTs修饰电极对葡萄糖的催化氧化

通过油胺(Oleylamine)还原法制备了金纳米线(Au nanowires),将其与酸化处理的多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs)通过层层组装制备了Au nanowires-MWCNTs复合结构修饰的玻碳电极(Au nanowires-MWCNTs/GCE).电化学研究结果表明,与单纯Au nanowires或MWCNTs修饰电极相比,Au nanowires-MWCNTs/GCE对葡萄糖表现出更优良的电催化性能.以Au nanowires-MWCNTs/GCE为阳极,电沉积Pt膜电极(Pt/GCE)为阴极,构建了葡萄糖/O2燃料电池.测试结果表明,构建的燃料电池的开路电位(OCP)为0.57 V,在0.44 V下最大功率密度(Pmax)为0.28 m W/cm2.