Biocompatible Electrochemical Sensor Based on Platinum-Nickel Alloy Nanoparticles for In Situ Monitoring of Hydrogen Sulfide in Breast Cancer Cells

oleh: Asit Kumar Panda, Murugan Keerthi, Rajalakshmi Sakthivel, Udesh Dhawan, Xinke Liu, Ren-Jei Chung

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-01-01

Deskripsi

Hydrogen sulfide (H<sub>2</sub>S), an endogenous gasotransmitter, is produced in mammalian systems and is closely associated with pathological and physiological functions. Nevertheless, the complete conversion of H<sub>2</sub>S is still unpredictable owing to the limited number of sensors for accurate and quantitative detection of H<sub>2</sub>S in biological samples. In this study, we constructed a disposable electrochemical sensor based on PtNi alloy nanoparticles (PtNi NPs) for sensitive and specific in situ monitoring of H<sub>2</sub>S released by human breast cancer cells. PtNi alloy NPs with an average size of 5.6 nm were prepared by a simple hydrothermal approach. The conversion of different forms of sulfides (e.g., H<sub>2</sub>S, HS<sup>−</sup>, and S<sup>2−</sup>) under various physiological conditions hindered the direct detection of H<sub>2</sub>S in live cells. PtNi NPs catalyze the electrochemical oxidation of H<sub>2</sub>S in a neutral phosphate buffer (PB, pH 7.0). The PtNi-based sensing platform demonstrated a linear detection range of 0.013–1031 µM and the limit of detection was 0.004 µM (S/N = 3). Moreover, the PtNi sensor exhibited a sensitivity of 0.323 μA μM<sup>−1</sup> cm<sup>−2</sup>. In addition, the stability, repeatability, reproducibility, and anti-interference ability of the PtNi sensor exhibited satisfactory results. The PtNi sensor was able to successfully quantify H<sub>2</sub>S in pond water, urine, and saliva samples. Finally, the biocompatible PtNi electrode was effectively employed for the real-time quantification of H<sub>2</sub>S released from breast cancer cells and mouse fibroblasts.