An electrochemical immunosensor for direct detection of the 15.5-kDa protein interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) at attomolar level has been developed. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of cysteine or acetylcysteine are formed on electropolished polycrystalline Au electrodes. IFN-gamma adsorbs physically to each of these SAMs. With injections of 100 mM KCl, IFN-gamma can be removed in the flow without damaging the acetylcysteine SAM. However, the cysteine SAM is affected by these KCl injections. In an on-line procedure in the flow, a specific antibody (MD-2) against IFN-gamma is covalently attached following carbodiimide/succinimide activation of the SAM. The activation of the carboxylic groups, attachment of MD-2, and deactivation of the remaining succinimide groups with ethanolamine are monitored impedimetrically at a frequency of 113 Hz, a potential of +0.2 V versus SCE, and an ac modulation amplitude of 10 mV. Plots of the real (Z') and imaginary (Z") component of the impedance versus time provide the information to control these processes. In the thermostated setup (23.0 degrees C), samples of unlabeled IFN-gamma (in phosphate buffer pH 7.4) are injected and the binding with immobilized MD-2 is monitored with ac impedance or potential-step methods. While the chronoamperometric results are rather poor, the ac impedance approach provides unsurpassed detection limits, as low as 0.02 fg mL-1 (approximately 1 aM) IFN-gamma. From a calibration curve (i.e. Z" versus the amount injected), recorded by multiple 50-microL injections of 2 pg mL(-1) of IFN-gamma, a dynamic range of 0-12 pg mL(-1) could be derived. However, when nonspecific adsorption is taken into account, which has been found to be largely reduced through injections of 100 mM KCl, a much smaller dynamic range of 0-0.14 fg mL(-1) remains. The immunosensor can be regenerated by using a sequence of potential pulses in the flow by which the SAM with attached MD-2 and bound IFN-gamma is completely removed. When the developed procedures described above are repeated, the response of the immunosensor is reproducible within 10%.
Formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thioctic acid (TA) on polycrystalline gold electrodes
has been investigated. The Au electrodes are polished, first mechanically and subsequently electrochemically,
until the roughness of the surface is minimal. The best TA SAMs are formed onto these electropolished
electrodes from stirred solutions, while a potential E = 0.0 V or E = +0.2 V versus saturated calomel
reference electrode (SCE) is applied during the adsorption process. Alternating current (ac) impedance
methods are used to monitor the formation of the SAMs and to characterize these. Potentiostatically
formed TA SAMs have better characteristics than those formed at open circuit. The TA SAMs are stable
in 100 mM phosphate buffer pH 7.4, and when protected from light, also in buffered 2 mM hexacyanoferrate(II/III) solution. However, when the hexacyanoferrate(II/III) solutions are exposed to light, the TA SAMs
are not stable. Probably, damaging of the SAM proceeds via etching of the gold surface by photochemically
released cyanide ions. Using potential pulses (+1.6, 0.0, −0.8 V versus SCE, each 0.1 s) for 15 min in the
flow (0.5 mL min-1), the TA SAM can be removed completely, recovering the initial state of the gold
electrode, as deduced from potential-step experiments. This way TA SAMs can be formed and removed
repeatedly and reproducibly on a single electrode.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.