Mikhail Vagin

An ultrasensitive molecularly-imprinted human cardiac troponin sensor

Cardiac troponin T (TnT) is a highly sensitive cardiac biomarker for myocardial infarction. In this study, the fabrication and characterisation of a novel sensor for human TnT based on a molecularly-imprinted electrosynthesised polymer is reported. A TnT sensitive layer was prepared by electropolymerisation of o-phenylenediamine (o-PD) on a gold electrode in the presence of TnT as a template. To develop the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), the template molecules were removed from the modified electrode surface by washing with alkaline ethanol. Electrochemical methods were used to monitor the processes of electropolymerisation, template removal and binding. The imprinted layer was characterised by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The incubation of the MIP-modified electrode with respect to TnT concentration resulted in a suppression of the ferro/ferricyanide redox process. Experimental conditions were optimised and a linear relationship was observed between the peak current of [Fe(CN)6](3-)/[Fe(CN)6](4-) and the concentration of TnT in buffer over the range 0.009-0.8 ng/mL, with a detection limit of 9 pg/mL. The TnT MIP sensor was shown to have a high affinity to TnT in comparison with non-imprinted polymer (NIP) electrodes in both buffer and blood serum.

Cholesterol Self-Powered Biosensor

Monitoring the cholesterol level is of great importance, especially for people with high risk of developing heart disease. Here we report on reagentless cholesterol detection in human plasma with a novel single-enzyme, membrane-free, self-powered biosensor, in which both cathodic and anodic bioelectrocatalytic reactions are powered by the same substrate. Cholesterol oxidase was immobilized in a sol-gel matrix on both the cathode and the anode. Hydrogen peroxide, a product of the enzymatic conversion of cholesterol, was electrocatalytically reduced, by the use of Prussian blue, at the cathode. In parallel, cholesterol oxidation catalyzed by mediated cholesterol oxidase occurred at the anode. The analytical performance was assessed for both electrode systems separately. The combination of the two electrodes, formed on high surface-area carbon cloth electrodes, resulted in a self-powered biosensor with enhanced sensitivity (26.0 mA M(-1) cm(-2)), compared to either of the two individual electrodes, and a dynamic range up to 4.1 mM cholesterol. Reagentless cholesterol detection with both electrochemical systems and with the self-powered biosensor was performed and the results were compared with the standard method of colorimetric cholesterol quantification.

Sol-gel immobilization of lactate oxidase from organic solvent: toward the advanced lactate biosensor.

We report on the novel protocol for enzyme immobilization into gel of siloxanes using water-organic mixtures with the high content of organic solvent as a reaction medium. Hydrolysis of alkoxysilanes carried out without excessive dilution with water resulted in more active and stable enzyme containing membranes. Immobilization of an inherently labile lactate oxidase according to the proposed sol-gel protocol over Prussian Blue modified electrode resulted in an advanced lactate biosensor characterized with a sensitivity of 0.18 A M(-1) cm(-2) in the flow injection analysis (FIA) mode over a wide dynamic range. A comparison with the known sensors has shown that analytical performances of the elaborated lactate biosensor are advantageous over both published systems and commercialized devices. The biosensor shows an appropriate stability and is suitable for clinical analysis (including noninvasive diagnostics) and food quality control.

Thermoelectric Properties of Solution-Processed n-Doped Ladder-Type Conducting Polymers

Ladder-type torsion-free conducting polymers (e.g., polybenzimidazobenzophenanthroline (BBL)) can outperform structurally distorted donor-acceptor polymers (e.g., P(NDI2OD-T2)), in terms of conductivity and thermoelectric power factor. The polaron delocalization length is larger in BBL than in P(NDI2OD-T2), resulting in a higher measured polaron mobility. Structure-function relationships are drawn, setting material-design guidelines for the next generation of conducting thermoelectric polymers.

Electrocatalytic Currents from Single Enzyme Molecules

Single molecule enzymology provides an opportunity to examine details of enzyme mechanisms that are not distinguishable in biomolecule ensemble studies. Here we report, for the first time, detection of the current produced in an electrocatalytic reaction by a single redox enzyme molecule when it collides with an ultramicroelectrode. The catalytic process provides amplification of the current from electron-transfer events at the catalyst leading to a measurable current. This new methodology monitors turnover of a single enzyme molecule. The methodology might complement existing single molecule techniques, giving further insights into enzymatic mechanisms and filling the gap between fundamental understanding of biocatalytic processes and their potential for bioenergy production.

Spontaneous and facilitated micelles formation at liquid/liquid interface: towards amperometric detection of redox inactive proteins

Abstract Spontaneous micelles formation by ionic surfactants has been detected amperometrically as an appearance of ion transfer across the water–dichloroethane interface noticed from linear dependence between the current and potential (Ohm’s law). At low surfactant concentrations, when its spontaneous aggregation does not occur, the micelles formation facilitated by a potential across the interface has been registered. The transfer of redox inactive proteins through water–dichloroethane interface in the presence of surfactant has been observed voltammetrically. It has been shown, that the presence of protein does not affect thermodynamics of micelles formation, but accelerates kinetics of ion transfer through the interface. The electrochemically controlled transfer of redox inactive proteins through liquid|liquid interface may lead to the development of methods for direct amperometric detection of biomolecules.

Label-Free Detection of DNA Hybridization at a Liquid|Liquid Interface

A novel electrochemical approach for label-free detection of DNA primary sequence has been proposed. The flow of nonelectroactive ions across a liquid|liquid interface was used as an electrochemical probe for detection of DNA hybridization. Disposable graphite screen-printed electrodes shielded with a thin layer of inert polymer plasticized with water-immiscible polar organic solvent were modified by probe oligonucleotide and used as a DNA sensor. The specific DNA coupling has been detected with impedance spectroscopy by decrease of ion-transfer resistance. The detection limit was of 10-8 M of target oligonucleotide. The reported sensor was suitable for discrimination of a single mismatch oligonucleotide from the full complementary one. The reported DNA sensor was advantageous over known physicochemical approaches, providing the most significant changes in the measured parameters.

Creatinine and urea biosensors based on a novel ammonium ion-selective copper-polyaniline nano-composite.

The use of a novel ammonium ion-specific copper-polyaniline nano-composite as transducer for hydrolase-based biosensors is proposed. In this work, a combination of creatinine deaminase and urease has been chosen as a model system to demonstrate the construction of urea and creatinine biosensors to illustrate the principle. Immobilisation of enzymes was shown to be a crucial step in the development of the biosensors; the use of glycerol and lactitol as stabilisers resulted in a significant improvement, especially in the case of the creatinine, of the operational stability of the biosensors (from few hours to at least 3 days). The developed biosensors exhibited high selectivity towards creatinine and urea. The sensitivity was found to be 85 ± 3.4 mAM(-1)cm(-2) for the creatinine biosensor and 112 ± 3.36 mAM(-1)cm(-2) for the urea biosensor, with apparent Michaelis-Menten constants (KM,app), obtained from the creatinine and urea calibration curves, of 0.163 mM for creatinine deaminase and 0.139 mM for urease, respectively. The biosensors responded linearly over the concentration range 1-125 µM, with a limit of detection of 0.5 µM and a response time of 15s. The performance of the biosensors in a real sample matrix, serum, was evaluated and a good correlation with standard spectrophotometric clinical laboratory techniques was found.

Surfactant bilayers for the direct electrochemical detection of affinity interactions

Simple methods of preparing the direct affinity sensors are proposed. Due to the self-consistent introduction of a hydrocarbon chain bound with oligonucleotide pentadecathymidylate (dT(15)) into the hydrophobic region of surfactant bilayer or the adsorption of antibodies on the bilayer surface, the immobilizations of oligonucleotide or antibodies were carried out correspondingly. The responses were detected by impedance spectroscopy. Whereas the specific DNA-coupling caused the decrease of real part of impedance, the antibody-antigen interaction caused the increase of real part. The obtained results give an opportunity for the development of impedimetric affinity sensors for clinical analysis or for the detection of various environmental pollutants.

Redox switching of polyoxometalate-methylene blue-based layer-by-layer films.

Iron-substituted crown-type polyoxometalate (POM) [P(8)W(48)O(184)Fe(16)(OH)(28)(H(2)O)(4)](20-) has been successfully immobilized onto glassy carbon electrode surfaces by means of the layer-by-layer (LBL) technique employing the cationic redox active dye, methylene blue (MB). The constructed multilayers exhibit pH-dependent redox activity for both the anionic POM and the cationic dye moieties, which is in good agreement with their solution behavior. The films have been characterized by alternating current impedance, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, whereby the nature of the outer layer within the assemblies was found to have an effect upon the films behavior. Preliminary investigations show that the POM dye-based films show electrocatalytic ability toward the reduction of hydrogen peroxide, however, only when there is an outer anionic POM layer.