Highly sensitive acetylcholine biosensing via chemical amplification of enzymatic processes in nanochannels

LAUCIRICA, GREGORIO; CORTEZ, M. LORENA; MAMISOLLÉ, WALDEMAR A.; TOUM TERRONES, YAMILI; FENOY, GONZALO E.; TRAUTMANN, CHRISTINA; CAYÓN, VANINA M.; TOIMIL-MOLARES, MARÍA EUGENIA; AZZARONI, OMAR

CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY

Año: 2022 vol. 58 p. 10166 - 10169

1359-7345

Acetylcholinesterase-modified nanochannels are proposed as reliable and reproducible nanofluidic sensors for highly sensitive detection of acetylcholine. The operation mechanism relies on the use of weak polyelectrolytes as “chemical amplifiers” that adjust/reconfigure the nanochannel surface charge in the presence of local pH changes induced by the enzymatic reaction. Experimental results show that the presence of acetylcholine can be transduced into measurable ionic signals with a low limit of detection.