A multidimensional design of charge transfer interfaces via D-A-D linking fashion for electrophysiological sensing of neurotransmitters

Biosens Bioelectron. 2018 Jan 15:99:296-302. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2017.07.058. Epub 2017 Jul 24.

Abstract

Donor-Acceptor (D-A) structure like host-guest pair serves as an organic charge-transfer (C-T) material with pregnant electrochemical and photochemical properties. Phenothiazine, a conjugated nitrogen-sulfur heterocyclic compound with broad pharmaceutical profile, is a strong electron donating system and applied in the synthesis of various classic antipsychotic drugs. In this proposal, a novel D-A molecule, 2,3-bis(4-(10H-phenothiazin-10-yl)phenyl)fumaronitrile (PTBFN), containig a diphenylfumaronitrile as the electrophilic central core and two phenothiazines as the peripheral electron donor functional groups is first designed and synthesized. Subsequently, the C-T layer based on the PTBFN polymer, poly(PTBFN), is obtained via a straightforward electrochemical method and used as an efficient electrocatalyst for dopamine (DA) detection. The logarithm of oxidation peak currents present an outstanding linear response to that of the DA concentration varying from 0.005 to 350μM with a detection limit down to 0.70nM, wherein the interferences of uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA) could be eliminated effectively. Moreover, the biosensor displays decent stability, excellent selectivity for different interfering compounds and applicability in real samples analysis. The favorable sensing performance suggests that the nontrivial D-A architecture is one of the promising bioaffinity catalysts for electrocatalysis and expected to provide wider application potential for biosensing construction and medical diagnostics.

Keywords: Bioaffinity sensor; Charge–transfer; Donor–Acceptor (D–A) structure; Dopamine; Phenothiazine.

MeSH terms

  • Ascorbic Acid / chemistry
  • Biosensing Techniques*
  • Catalysis
  • Dopamine / chemistry
  • Dopamine / isolation & purification*
  • Electrochemical Techniques
  • Humans
  • Limit of Detection
  • Neurotransmitter Agents / chemistry
  • Neurotransmitter Agents / isolation & purification*
  • Nitrogen / chemistry
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Phenothiazines / chemical synthesis
  • Phenothiazines / chemistry*
  • Polymers / chemistry
  • Uric Acid / chemistry

Substances

  • Neurotransmitter Agents
  • Phenothiazines
  • Polymers
  • Uric Acid
  • phenothiazine
  • Nitrogen
  • Ascorbic Acid
  • Dopamine