A novel impedimetric sensor based on N-acetyl-L-cysteine for the determination of hydroxyl radicals in cell cultures in vitro

• Published in: Talanta (Oxford) Vol. 270; p. 125600
• Main Authors: Erkovich, A V, Korotkova, E I, Dorozhko, E V, Plotnikov, E V, Semin, V O, Chernova, A P, Barek, J, Solomonenko, A N, Aseeva, N V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 01-04-2024
• Subjects: Oxidative stress; N-Acetyl-L-cysteine; Cell cultures; Impedimetric sensor; Hydroxyl radical
• ISSN: 0039-9140; 1873-3573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2023.125600

We report a novel impedimetric sensor based on a graphite electrode impregnated with polyethylene and paraffin under vacuum (IGE) modified with electrochemically deposited gold and a self-assembled monolayer of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC/Au/IGE) for selective and sensitive determination of extracellular hydroxyl radicals (OH
) generated by living cells. The application of a sulphur-containing molecule oxidized by OH
predicts the high selectivity of the sensor, and the utilization of the non-faradaic impedance spectroscopy for recording an analytical response makes it possible to achieve superior sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.01 nM and a linear dynamic range of 0.08-8 nM. Meanwhile, NAC/Au/IGE demonstrated a strong potential of detecting OH
generated by biological objects via successful determination of extracellular hydroxyl radicals generated by normal fibroblast cells and prostate carcinoma cells.