Electrochemical discrimination of phenylalanine enantiomers in blood using an ATO-γ-CD nanocomposite-modified SWCNT platform.

BACKGROUND

The biological sciences and medical disciplines demand the development of an electrochemical approach for enantiomer identification that is both efficient and easy. Phenylalanine enantiomers, require sensitive and selective discrimination due to their distinct physiological roles. Electrochemical methods offer attractive advantages for chiral analysis including simplicity, low cost and high sensitivity.

RESULTS

An electrochemical platform was designed to identify and quantify phenylalanine enantiomers in blood specimens. The platform is based on a single-walled carbon nanotube printed electrode (SWCNT) that has been modified with antimony tin oxide and γ-cyclodextrin nanocomposite (ATO-γ-CD NCs). The morphologies and electrochemical properties of the modified platform were assessed utilizing a broad array of methods, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The linear sweep voltammetry results suggested that the current intensity ratio of L-Phe/D-Phe (IL/ID) was 1.65 at ATO-γ-CD NCs/SWCNT under ideal experimental conditions. Furthermore, the constructed electrode demonstrated a strong linear relationship with the strength of the measured current.

SIGNIFICANCE: This work reveals that the ATO-γ-CD NCs/SWCNT electrode developed have the capacity to swiftly detect the enantiomeric ratio of a non-racemic phenylalanine mixture. The modified electrode's efficacy in the analysis of real samples was subsequently proven by its capacity to differentiate the Phe enantiomers in a complex biological matrix, offering a promising approach for chiral amino acid analysis in real biological samples.