Mini-Review: Electrochemical Sensors Used for the Determination of Water- and Fat-Soluble Vitamins: B, D, K

Vitamins are one of the most essential organic compounds that are necessary for the human body, in order to develop and grow in a healthy way. The aim of this mini-review is to bring together a series of electrochemical sensors (voltametric and amperometric) developed for the determination of vitamins from the families of B, D and K in biological, pharmaceutical or food-related samples. For this mini-review, 16 articles published between 2016 and 2021 were taken into consideration.

Sensitive riboflavin sensing using silver nanoparticles deposited onto screen-printed electrodes via controlled-energy spark discharges

In this work, we elaborated the graphite screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) modification with metal nanoparticles formed as a result of spark discharges produced between a metal wire electrode and SPE that are connected to an Arduino board-based DC high voltage power supply. This sparking device allows, on the one hand, the toposelective formation of NPs of controlled dimensions through a direct and liquid-free approach, and on the other hand, controls the number and energy of the discharges delivered to the electrode surface during a single spark event. This way, the potential damage to the SPE surface by the action of heat evolved during the sparking process is considerably minimized compared with the standard setup in which each spark event consists of multiple electrical discharges. Data demonstrated that the sensing properties of the resulting electrodes are significantly improved compared with those achieved when conventional spark generators are employed, as demonstrated for silver-sparked SPEs that exhibit enhanced sensitivity to riboflavin. Sparked AgNp-SPEs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and voltammetric measurements in alkaline conditions. The analytical performance of sparked AgNP-SPEs was evaluated by various electrochemical techniques. Under optimum conditions, the detection range for DPV was from 1.9 (LOQ) to 100 nM riboflavin (R2 = 0.997), while a limit of detection (LOD, S/N 3) of 0.56 nM was achieved. The analytical utility is demonstrated for the determination of riboflavin in the real matrices of B-complex pharmaceutical preparation and an energy drink.

Fabrication of Gd2O3 Nanosheet-Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode for Nonenzymatic Highly Selective Electrochemical Detection of Vitamin B2

A novel Gd₂O₃ nanosheet was synthesized by the template-free chemical coprecipitation method. Interestingly, upon calcination at 600 °C, nanoparticles were transformed into a nanosheet, as observed from field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images. An increase in the calcination temperature to 600 °C increases the particle size to 50 nm, which results in aggregation. A sheetlike Gd₂O₃ exhibits superparamagnetism from 300 K. The highly selective nonenzymatic sensing of riboflavin (RF) was studied using a modified glassy carbon electrode with Gd₂O₃ nanosheets, and its various applications were made possible by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The redox behavior of the RF was determined. The newly fabricated sensor showed high sensitivity, stability, and reproducibility and was also tested with a commercial vitamin B2 tablet and a milk powder sample.

The effects of the supporting electrolyte on the simultaneous determination of vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and vitamin C using a modification-free screen-printed carbon electrode

A simple and modification-free SPCE demonstrated high efficiency for the simultaneous detection of VB₂, VB₆, and VC in various practical applications.

Highly sensitive interference-free electrochemical determination of pyridoxine at graphene modified electrode: Importance in Parkinson and Asthma treatments

To reduce the side effects in the medication of Parkinson and Asthma, pyridoxine (PY) is administered along with l-3,4-dihydroxyphenyl alanine (l-dopa) and theophylline (TP), respectively. However, excessive dosage of PY leads to nervous disorder. Thus, a sensitive and selective electrochemical method was developed for the determination of PY in the presence of major interferences including TP, l-dopa, ascorbic acid (AA) and riboflavin (RB) using electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in this paper. The ERGO fabrication process involves the nucleophilic substitution of graphene oxide at basic pH on amine terminal of 1,6-hexadiamine which was pre-assembled on GCE followed by electrochemical reduction. The electrocatalytic activity of the ERGO modified electrode was examined towards the oxidation of PY. It greatly enhanced the oxidation current of PY in contrast to bare and GO modified GCEs due to facile electron transfer besides π-π interaction between ERGO film and PY. Since TP and l-dopa drugs antagonize the drug action of PY, ERGO modified GCE was also used for the simultaneous determination of PY and l-dopa and PY and TP. Further, the selective determination of PY in the presence of other water soluble vitamins such as ascorbic acid and riboflavin was also demonstrated. Using amperometry, detection of 100nM PY was achieved and the detection limit was found to be 5.6×10(-8)M (S/N=3). The practical application of the present method was demonstrated by determining the concentration of PY in human blood serum and commercial drugs.

Electrochemical signatures of multivitamin mixtures

Distinct electrochemical signatures of multivitamins using cyclic square wave voltammetry at a disposable screen printed electrode.

Antioxidant phospholipid calix[4]arene mimics as micellular delivery systems

Amphiphilic calix[4]arenes were designed as phospholipid mimics by incorporating PO3H2 or NMe3(+) head groups. Using PC12 cells and three stressors (H2O2, menadione and glutamate), we established safe calix[4]arene levels that are able not only to deliver antioxidant payloads of curcumin, but intriguingly also have inherent antioxidant properties. The calix[4]arenes appear to be potent synthetic antioxidants that could be used as nano-carriers for drug delivery.

Printed composite electrodes for in-situ wound pH monitoring

New technologies are essential for intelligent wound management and to provide tools that facilitate a greater understanding of wounds and healing physiology. pH is an important marker for many processes in the wound environment; it cannot be fully utilised due to the inherent lack of suitable technologies currently available. The development and proof-of-concept testing for an electrochemical system that exploits pad-printed carbon-uric acid composite electrodes is detailed. Uric acid is incorporated to act as a biologically-safe pH probe within in the sensor assembly that can be manipulated to offer a simple voltammetric response. The development of the composite sensors, the activation of the basal carbon, and the surface deposition of 1,2-diaminobenzene to prevent biofouling are detailed. The prototype sensing assembly is shown to enable the interference-free measurement of pH (and linear quantification of endogenous uric acid) even in the presence of high ascorbic acid concentrations. The experimental developments culminate in a standard deviation of 0.164 for 20 replicates performed in simulated wound fluid, and sensitive monitoring of pH across a wide analytical range (pH 4-10) in simulated wound fluid. These findings suggest that printed carbon-uric acid composites may offer a novel, cheap and reliable mechanism for simple pH measurements at wound surfaces, a potentially powerful tool with clinical utility for wound management and one that may enable a greater understanding of pH implications on wound physiology, and the effects of dressings and treatments.

A VOLTAMMETRIC FLAVIN MICROELECTRODE FOR USE IN BIOFILMS

Biofilms used in bioelectrochemical systems are expected to transfer electrons using electron transfer mediators. One mediator type, flavins, which includes flavin mononucleotide, riboflavin, and flavin adenine dinucleotide, has been found to be endogenously produced by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. However, the presence and concentration of flavins inside a S. oneidensis MR-1 biofilm have never been reported. The goal of this study was to develop a flavin microelectrode capable of measuring flavins inside a living biofilm and apply it to a biofilm which produces flavins. Because flavins are electrochemically active molecules, the flavin microelectrode was based on detection via square-wave voltammetry. The microelectrode consisted of a carbon working electrode with a 10-30 μm tip diameter, a built-in platinum counter electrode, and a Ag/AgCl reference electrode, all enclosed in a glass outer case. The microelectrode was calibrated between 0.1 μM and 10 μM flavins and showed a linear correlation between flavin concentration and peak currents located at -424 mV(Ag/AgCl) on a square-wave voltammogram. We also developed a model to explain the electrochemical mechanism of flavin detection, and to determine the effective surface area of the microelectrode, the standard reduction potential, and the transfer coefficient. We found that the effective surface area of the microelectrode was close to 100 times the projected surface area. The model predicted a standard reduction potential for RF/RFH2 of -419 mV(Ag/AgCl) at 20 °C and a transfer coefficient of 0.45. Lastly, we measured flavin concentration inside a S. oneidensis MR-1 biofilm grown on a glass surface using oxygen as the electron acceptor. The flavin concentration reached 0.7 μM, increasing near the bottom of the biofilm, where no oxygen was present. This shows the possibility that flavins are produced in the anaerobic zone to act as intermediate electron acceptors in the deeper parts of the biofilm, where there is no oxygen.

Nanocomposite and Nanoporous Polyaniline Conducting Polymers Exhibit Enhanced Catalysis of Nitrite Reduction

Nanostructured polyaniline (PANI) conducting polymer films were prepared on electrochemically pretreated glassy carbon electrodes, which were previously modified with multilayers of polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles with a diameter of 100 nm. PANI was electropolymerised and grown through the interstitial spaces between the PS nanoparticles, which formed a nanocomposite film of PANI and PS nanoparticles on the electrode surface. Furthermore, a nanoporous PANI film was fabricated through the removal of the PS nanoparticles by dissolution in toluene. As a result of their nanostructure, both of the PANI films (before and after removal of the PS nanoparticles) exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic behaviour towards the reduction of nitrite relative to bulk-PANI films; however, partial collapse or shrinkage may have occurred with the removal of the nanoparticles and could have resulted in a less enhanced response. Under optimised conditions, the nanocomposite-film-modified electrode exhibited a fast response time of 5 s and a linear range from 5.0 x 10(-7) to 1.4 x 10(-3) M for the detection of nitrite; the detection limit was 2.4 x 10(-7) M at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.

A fast and reliable route integrating calibration and analysis protocols for water-soluble vitamin determination on microchip-electrochemistry platforms

A novel analytical route to determine water-soluble vitamins (B group and C) using single channel microchip-electrochemistry platforms is presented. The electrochemical detection protocol was carefully optimized, and it was shown that it was crucial to use 1 M nitric acid in the detector compartment to detect folic acid. A phosphate buffer (pH 6, 10 mM) and a separation voltage of 2 kV gave the complete separation of vitamins in less than 130 s, with good reproducibility (RSDs less than 10%) and accuracy (error less than 9%). In addition, a methodological innovation integrating calibration and analysis of water-soluble vitamins on the chip is also proposed. The strategy consisted in sequentially using both reservoirs (named calibration and analysis reservoirs) as well as a calibration factor (defined as signal/concentration of analyte). The analytical route required 350 s in the overall protocol (employing 130 s in calibration plus 130 s in analysis), an improvement over the times used in both conventional and microchip protocols.