Electrochemical Investigation of Curcumin-DNA Interaction by Using Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles-Ionic Liquids Based Composite Electrodes

Electrochemical Sensing of Curcumin: A Review

Curcumin is a natural polyphenol derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa) root that has been used for centuries as a spice, coloring agent, and medicine. Curcumin presents anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antiviral, antimalarial, hepatoprotective, thrombosuppressive, cardiovascular, hypoglycemic, antiarthritic, and anti-neurodegenerative properties. It scavenges different forms of free radicals and acts on transcription factors, growth factors and their receptors, cytokines, enzymes, and genes, regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis. Curcumin is electroactive, and a relationship between its electron transfer properties and radical-scavenging activity has been highlighted. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the curcumin electron transfer reactions, with emphasis on the controversial aspects related to its oxidation mechanism. The final sections will focus on the electroanalysis of curcumin in natural products, highlighting the most important sensing strategies, based on functional electrodes and nanostructured materials, essential for the development of more efficient in vitro methods of detection and quantification of curcumin in food samples, supplements, and nutripharmaceuticals.

Curcumin Electrochemistry-Antioxidant Activity Assessment, Voltammetric Behavior and Quantitative Determination, Applications as Electrode Modifier

Curcumin (CU) is a polyphenolic compound extracted from turmeric, a well-known dietary spice. Since it has been shown that CU exerts beneficial effects on human health, interest has increased in its use but also in its analysis in different matrices. CU has an antioxidant character and is electroactive due to the presence of phenolic groups in its molecule. This paper reviews the data reported in the literature regarding the use of electrochemical techniques for the assessment of CU antioxidant activity and the investigation of the voltammetric behavior at different electrodes of free or loaded CU on various carriers. The performance characteristics and the analytical applications of the electrochemical methods developed for CU analysis are compared and critically discussed. Examples of voltammetric investigations of CU interaction with different metallic ions or of CU or CU complexes with DNA as well as the CU applications as electrode modifiers for the enhanced detection of various chemical species are also shown.

Interaction of nickel ferrite nanoparticles with nucleic acids

In this article, we introduced an electrochemical biosensor employing graphite electrodes (GE) decorated with Nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) nanoparticles for nucleic acid detection. NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles in a narrow size distribution were synthesized with co-precipitation technique. Their chemical and crystallographic properties were characterized with FTIR and X-ray spectroscopies. Nanoparticle size distribution and hydrodynamic diameter were determined with particle size analyzer. Elemental content and purity of nanoparticles were analyzed with EDX analysis. Our analyses showed a diameter of ~10 nm for NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles. Electrochemical properties of NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were examined with different analysis methods. Conductivity properties of NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were investigated with Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), which confirmed that nanoparticles on GE surface have a high surface area and conductivity. More importantly, in this article, the interactions between NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles and double stranded DNA (dsDNA), single stranded DNA (ssDNA), and RNA were for the first time examined using Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV), CV, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Oxidation peak currents of NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles and guanine bases of dsDNA, ssDNA, and RNA showed that NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles effectively interacts with nucleic acids via an electrostatic mode.