Feasibility of application of conductometric biosensor based on acetylcholinesterase for the inhibitory analysis of toxic compounds of different nature

This study was aimed at the development of a conductometric biosensor based on acetylcholinesterase considering the feasibility of its application for the inhibitory analysis of various toxicants. In this paper, the optimum conditions for enzyme immobilization on the transducer surface are selected as well as the optimum concentration of substrate for inhibitory analysis. Sensitivity of the developed biosensor to different classes of toxic compounds (organophosphorus pesticides, heavy metal ions, surfactants, aflatoxin, glycoalkaloids) was tested. It is shown that the developed biosensor can be successfully used for the analysis of pesticides and mycotoxins, as well as for determination of total toxicity of the samples. A new method of biosensor analysis of toxic substances of different classes in complex multicomponent aqueous samples is proposed.     

Trends in the detection of pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds by Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Field-effect transistors (FETs) are one of the most widely-used electronic sensors for continuous monitoring and detection of contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds at low concentrations. FETs have been successfully utilized for the rapid analysis of these environmental pollutants due to their advantageous material properties like the disposability, rapid responses and simplicity. This paper presented an up-to-date overview of applied strategies with different bio-based materials in order to enhance the analytical performances of the designed sensors. Comparison and discussion were made between characteristics of recently engineered FET bio-sensors used for the detection of famous and selected pharmaceutical compounds in the literature. The recent progress in environmental research applications, comments on interesting trends, current challenge for future research in endocrine-disrupting chemicals’ (EDCs) detection using FETs biosensors were highlighted.     

A Biosilification Fusion Protein for a ‘Self‐immobilising’ Sarcosine Oxidase Amperometric Enzyme Biosensor

Monomeric sarcosine oxidase (mSOx) fusion with the silaffin peptide, R5, designed previously for easy protein production in low resource areas, was used in a biosilification process to form an enzyme layer electrode biosensor. mSOx is a low activity enzyme (10–20 U/mg) requiring high amounts of enzyme to obtain an amperometric biosensor signal, in the clinically useful range <1 mM sarcosine, especially since the K_m is >10 mM. An amperometric biosensor model was fitted to experimental data to investigate dynamic range. mSOx constructs were designed with 6H (6×histidine) and R5 (silaffin) peptide tags and compared with native mSOx. Glutaraldehyde (GA) cross‐linked proteins retained ～5 % activity for mSOx and mSOx‐6H and only 0.5 % for mSOx‐R5. In contrast R5 catalysed biosilification on (3‐mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) particles created a ‘self‐immobilisation’ matrix retaining 40 % and 76 % activity respectively. The TMOS matrix produced a thick layer (>500 μm) on a glassy carbon electrode with a mediated current due to sarcosine in the clinical range for sarcosinemia (0–1 mM). The mSOx‐R5 fusion protein was also used to catalyse biosilification in the presence of creatinase and creatininase, entrapping all three enzymes. A mediated GC enzyme linked current was obtained with dynamic range available for creatinine determination of 0.1–2 mM for an enzyme layer ～800 nm.     

Amperometric Detection of Catechol and Catecholamines by Immobilized Laccase from DeniLite

DeniLite laccase immobilized Pt electrode was used for detection of catechol and catecholamines. The enzymatically oxidized substrates were measured amperometrically. The sensitivities are 210, 75, 60 and 45 nA/μM with the upper limits of linear ranges of 58, 40, 55 and 55 μM and the detection limits (S/N=3) of 0.07, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 μM for catechol, dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NEPI) and epinephrine (EPI), respectively. The response time (t_90%) is about 2 seconds for each substrate and the long‐term stability is around 40–50 days with retaining 80% of initial activity. The very fast response and the remarkable long‐term stability are the principal advantages of this sensor. In case of catechol, the pH response of the sensor is mainly determined by enzyme's pH profile, however, in case of catecholamines, both enzyme's pH profile and reversibility of the substrate are operated and the optimal pHs for NEPI and EPI shift towards acidic range compared to that for DA. The presence of ascorbic acid (<50 μM) did not interfere with the measurement.     

Phenol biosensor based on electrochemically controlled integration of tyrosinase in a redox polymer

An amperometric biosensor for the detection of phenolic compounds was developed based on the immobilization of tyrosinase within an Os-complex functionalized electrodeposition polymer. Integration of tyrosinase within the redox polymer assures efficient catechol recycling between the enzyme and the polymer bound redox sites. The non-manual immobilization procedure improves the reproducibility of fabrication process, greatly reduces the desorption of the enzyme from the immobilization layer, and, most importantly prevents fast inactivation of the enzyme by its substrate due to fast redox cycling. A two-layer sensor architecture was developed involving ascorbic acid oxidase entrapped within an electrodeposition polymer in a second layer on top of the redox polymer/tyrosinase layer. Using this sensor architecture it was possible to eliminate the current interference arising from direct ascorbate oxidation up to a concentration of 630 μM ascorbic acid. The effects of the polymer thickness, the enzyme/polymer ratio, and the applied potential were evaluated with respect to optimal sensor properties. The sensitivity of the optimized sensors for catechol was 6.1 nA μM⁻¹ with a detection limit of 10 nM, and for phenol 0.15 nA μM⁻¹ with a detection limit of 100 nM.     

核酸识体的研究及应用

核酸识体(aptamer)是近年来发展起来的一类经体外人工进化程序筛选出的寡聚核苷酸。它能高效、特异地结合各种配体，在蛋白质的分析检测、医学诊断治疗、生物传感器和分子开关的开发等方面有很大的应用前景，文章对核酸识体的研究和应用进展进行了综述。     

超分子有机薄膜

利用超分子有机薄膜技术能制成新的传感分子电子器件、光学器件和生物分子器件等，受到跨学科高技术研究领域的重视。本文描述了超分子有机薄膜的制备方法以及在各应用领域的研究状况。重点介绍了我们研究组在近20年工作中，利用LB膜技术，在光电器件、气体传感技术和光学非线性，特别是在生物传感技术方面的研究成果。按照生物体系提供的信息，模拟合成功能分子，建造有组织的分子组装体，以便用来研究依赖于分子排列的生物物理化学效应。     

Acetylcholine Biosensor Based on Dendrimer Layers for Pesticides Detection

We tested a new design of an enzyme biosensor based on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline oxidase (ChO) immobilized on the supported monomolecular layer composed of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers of the fourth generation (G4) mixed with 1‐hexadecanethiol (HDT). The resulting enzymatic activity, measured amperometrically, was substantially depressed in the presence of the organophosphate pesticide dimethyl‐2,2‐dichlorovinylphosphate (DDVP, Dichlorvos), carbamate pesticides carbofuran and carbamate drug eserine. The detection limits (1.3×10^?3 ppb for DDVP, 0.01 ppb for carbofuran and 0.03 for eserine) were considerably lower than so far reported for AChE based amperometric and potentiometric sensors. The relative simple protocol of biosensor preparation, high sensitivity and stability is very promising for determination of environmental pollutants in field conditions.     

A novel phosphoramidite method for automated synthesis of oligonucleotides on glass supports for biosensor development

Two protocols for functionalization of glass supports with hexaethylene glycol (HEG)-linked oligonucleotides were developed. The first method (standard amidite protocol) made use of the 2-cyanoethyl-phosphoramidite derivative of 4,4′-dimethoxytrityl-protected HEG. This was first coupled to the support by standard solid-phase phosphoramidite chemistry followed by extension with a thymidylic acid icosanucleotide. Stepwise addition of the linker phosphoramidite graduated at 1% (relative to the total sites available) perstep at 50°C resulted in an optimal yield of immobilized oligonucleotides at a density of 2.24 × 10¹⁰ strands/mm². This observed loading maximum lies well below the theoretical maximum loading owing to nonspecific adsorption of HEG on the glass and subsequent blocking of reactive sites. Surface loadings as high as 3.73 × 10¹⁰/mm² and of excellent sequence quality were achieved with a reverse amidite protocol. The support was first modified into a 2-cyanoethyl-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite analog followed by coupling with 4,4′-dimethoxytrityl-protected HEG. This protocol is conveniently available when using a conventional DNA synthesizer. The reverse amidite protocol allowed for control of the surface loading at values suitable for subsequent analytical applications that make use of immobilized oligonucleotides as probes for selective hybridization of sample nucleic acids of unknown sequence and concentration.