Development of Enzyme Conductometric Biosensor for Dopamine Determination in Aqueous Samples

Dopamine is a biologically active chemical that performs a number of vital functions as a hormone and neurotransmitter. Therefore, the determination of dopamine concentration in the human body is important for biomedical research. The content of dopamine in the blood varies depending on the age of a healthy person and can serve as a prognostic marker of many diseases. The aim of this work was to develop a new enzyme conductometric biosensor for the determination of dopamine in aqueous samples and to study the biosensor's analytical characteristics. The conductometric method of analysis with differential measurement mode was used in the work. Two pairs of gold interdigitated electrodes deposited on a sitall substrate were used as a conductometric transducer. The biorecognition element of the biosensor was based on laccase immobilized by glutaraldehyde cross-linking. The optimal conditions of laccase immobilization were selected. The influence of solution parameters (ionic strength, pH, buffer capacity) on the biosensor work was investigated. The biosensors demonstrated high sensitivity to dopamine (minimum limit of detection −7.8 μM) with the linear range up to 1 mM. The biosensor was highly selective and reusable. The proposed biosensor was tested regarding the possibility of its long-term storage under different conditions. The developed conductometric biosensor was proven to be suitable for measuring dopamine concentration in biological and pharmaceutical samples.