Electrochemical oxidation behavior of bisphenol A at surfactant/layered double hydroxide modified glassy carbon electrode and its determination

Electrochemical behavior of bisphenol A (BPA) at glassy carbon electrode-modified with layered double hydroxide (LDH) and anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) is investigated by electrochemical techniques. Compared with the bare electrode and LDH-modified electrode, the oxidation peak potential of BPA shifted negatively and the peak current increased significantly due to the enhanced accumulation of BPA via electrostatic interaction with LDH at the hydrophobic electrode surface. Some determination conditions such as LDH loading, pH, scan rate, accumulation potential, and accumulation time on the oxidation of BPA were optimized. And some kinetic parameters were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation current was proportional to BPA concentration in the range of 8 × 10⁻⁹ to 2.808 × 10⁻⁶ M with the detection limit of 2.0 × 10⁻⁹ M by amperometry. The fabricated electrode showed good reproducibility, stability, and anti-interference. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine BPA in water samples, and the results were satisfactory.     

An electrochemical signal 'off-on' sensing platform for microRNA detection

The abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in many solid tumors makes miRNAs potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and highlights the need for the sensitive and selective detection of miRNAs. In the present work, an 'off-on' signaling genosensor platform for miRNA-21 detection was well developed. This tactic was based on a locked nucleic acid-integrated nucleic acid hairpin probe, a biotin-labeled bridge DNA-AuNPs-bio-barcode signal amplification unit and enzymatic signal amplification. The test is simple, fast and ultrasensitive with a linear range of 0.01-700 pM. The detection limit was estimated to be 6 fM. The overexpression of miRNA-21 was confirmed in total RNA extracted from human hepatocarcinoma cells BEL-7402 and human HeLa cells compared with the control sample extracted from normal human hepatic L02 cells. This method does not need miRNA-21 labeling, isolation, enrichment or PCR amplification. The performance of the assay developed here could satisfy the need for rapid, easy, sensitive and specific early cancer diagnosis in clinical diagnostics.     

Amperometric nitrite biosensor based on a gold electrode modified with cytochrome c on Nafion and Cu-Mg-Al layered double hydroxides

An amperometric biosensor for nitrite was prepared by immobilizing cytochrome c (Cyt c) on a gold electrode that was modified with Nafion and a Cu-Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (Cu-LDH). The Cu-LDH was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. The UV-visible spectrum suggests that Cyt c retains its native conformation in the modified film. The direct electrochemical investigation indicated that the composite film represents a good platform for the immobilization of Cyt c as well as an excellent promoter for the electron transfer between Cyt c and the gold electrode. Moreover, the biosensor showed a remarkable bioelectrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of nitrite with a linear range from 0.75 to 123 μM. The detection limit is 2?×?10^?7 M (S/N?=?3). The biosensor was successfully applied to the determination of nitrite in food samples.     

DNA-based hybridization chain reaction amplification for assaying the effect of environmental phenolic hormone on DNA methyltransferase activity

In this work, a novel electrochemical protocol with signal amplification for determination of DNA methylation and methyltransferase activity using DNA-based hybridization chain reaction (HCR) was proposed. After the gold electrode was modified with dsDNA, it was treated with M.SssI MTase, HpaII endonuclease, respectively. And then the HCR was initiated by the target DNA and two hairpin helper DNAs, which lead to the formation of extended dsDNA polymers on the electrode surface. The signal was amplified by the labeled biotin on the hairpin probes. As a result, the streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase (S-ALP) conjugated on the electrode surface through the specific interaction between biotin and S-ALP. ALP could convert 1-naphthyl phosphate into 1-naphthol and the latter could be electrochemically oxidized, which was used to monitor the methylation event and MTase activity. The HCR assay presents good electrochemical responses for the determination of M.SssI MTase at a concentration as low as 0.0067 unit mL⁻¹. Moreover, the effects of anti-cancer drug and environmental phenolic hormone on M.SssI MTase activity were also investigated. The results indicated that 5-fluorouracil and daunorubicin hydrochloride could inhibit the activity, and the opposite results were obtained with bisphenol A and nonylphenol. Therefore, this method can not only provide a platform to screen the inhibitors of DNA MTase and develop new anticancer drugs, but also offer a novel technique to investigate the possible carcinogenesis mechanism.     

Spindle Mn2O3/carbon hybrid with homogeneous structure as advanced electrodes for supercapacitors

Journal of Nanoparticle Research - Drug-lipid interaction was a vital issue for weak-hydrophobic drug-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (WHD-SLNs). With a weak drug-lipid interaction, the drug...     

A Corrole-Based Covalent Organic Framework Featuring Desymmetrized Topology

Herein, for the first time, we present the successful synthesis of a novel two-dimensional corrole-based covalent organic framework (COF) by reacting the unusual approximately T-shaped 5,10,15-tris(p-aminophenyl)corrole H₃TPAPC with terephthalaldehyde, which adopts desymmetrized hcb topology and consists of a staggered AB stacking structure with elliptical pores. The resultant corrole-based COF, TPAPC-COF , exhibits high crystallinity and excellent chemical stability. The combination of extended π-conjugated backbone and interlayer noncovalent π–π interactions endows TPAPC-COF with excellent absorption capability in the entire visible-light and even near-infrared regions. Moreover, this work suggests the promise of TPAPC-COF as a new class of photoactive material for efficient singlet-oxygen generation with potential photodynamic therapy application as demonstrated by in vitro anticancer studies.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation behavior of guanosine at graphene, chitosan and Fe3O4 nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode and its determination

A graphene, chitosan and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (nano-Fe₃O₄) modified glassy carbon electrode (graphene-chitosan/nano-Fe₃O₄/GCE) was fabricated. The modified electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscope and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The electrochemical oxidation behavior of guanosine was investigated in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The experimental results indicated that the modified electrode exhibited an electrocatalytic and adsorptive activities towards the oxidation of guanosine. The transfer electron number (n), transfer proton number (m) and electrochemically effective surface area (A) were calculated. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation peak current was proportional to guanosine concentration in the range of 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 3.5 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ with the correlation coefficient of 0.9939 and the detection limit of 7.5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). Moreover, the modified electrode showed good ability to discriminate the electrochemical oxidation response of guanosine, guanine and adenosine. The proposed method was further applied to determine guanosine in spiked urine samples and traditional Chinese medicines with satisfactory results.     

Methyltransferase activity assay based on the use of exonuclease III,the hemin/G-quadruplex system and reduced graphene oxide on a gold electrode,and a study on enzyme inhibition

We describe an electrochemical bioassay for the detection of the activity of methyltransferase (MTase), and for screening this enzyme’s inhibitors. The assay is based on the conjugation of a hemin to a G-quadruplex that enables enzymatic signal amplification with the aid of exonuclease III (ExoIII). In the first step, double-stranded DNA containing the quadruplex-forming oligomer is assembled on the surface of a gold electrode and then methylated by DNA adenine methyltransferase (DAM). After cleaved by endonuclease DpnI, the methylated DNA is digested by ExoIII and the quadruplex-forming oligomers are liberated. This leads to the formation of a hemin/G-quadruplex (in presence of hemin and of potassium ions). The hemin/G-quadruplex catalyzes the oxidization of hydroquinone by H₂O₂ and the benzoquinone was formed to generate electrochemical signal. Finally, the gold electrode modified with reduced graphene oxide was used as working electrode for performing differential pulse voltammetry. The method has a detection limit of 0.31 unit · mL⁻¹. A study on the inhibition of MTase showed it was inhibited by epicatechin with an IC50 value of 157 μM.

We describe an electrochemical bioassay for the detection of the activity of methyltransferase and for screening for its inhibitors. Due to the conjugation of a hemin to a G-quadruplex, strong enzymatic signal amplification is enabled with the aid of exonuclease III.

     

A label-free electrochemical biosensor for microRNA detection based on apoferritin-encapsulated Cu nanoparticles

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small endogenous nonprotein-coding RNAs, regulate a wide range of biological processes, and their abnormal expressions are related to the growth and development of plants. Thus, a simple, rapid, and highly sensitive assay for miRNA detection is of great significance. In this work, a label-free and ultrasensitive assay for miRNA detection using protein cage nanoparticles has been developed. Apoferritin-encapsulated Cu nanoparticles (Cu-apoferritin) could be immobilized on the electrode through special reaction between amino and carboxyl. Hybridization event between the probe DNA and the target miRNA-159a is confirmed by electrochemical oxidation signal after Cu released into the detection buffer by adjusting the pH. This assay is highly selective and sensitive with a low detection limit of 3.5 fM. Moreover, the developed method can even discriminate single-base mismatched strand between the complementary targets. The effect of abscisic acid on the expression level of miRNA-159a in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds was also investigated.