Title:Electrochemical Nucleic Acid-Based Biosensing of Drugs of Abuse and Pharmaceuticals
VOLUME: 25 ISSUE: 33
Author(s):Susana Campuzano, María Pedrero and José M. Pingarrón*
Affiliation:Departamento de Quimica Analitica, Facultad de CC. Quimicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E- 28040 Madrid, Departamento de Quimica Analitica, Facultad de CC. Quimicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E- 28040 Madrid, Departamento de Quimica Analitica, Facultad de CC. Quimicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E- 28040 Madrid
Keywords:Electrochemical sensors, nucleic acid, drugs, DNA damage, nanomaterials, polymers.
Abstract:Background: Studies on the interactions of DNA with small molecular drugs
are currently performed both to explore their mechanism of action and to develop new
drugs. Electrochemical biosensors offer a very promising alternative to more complex
conventional techniques for drug determination due to rapidness, low cost, simplicity,
high sensitivity and compatibility with use in different settings. In this review, selected
electrochemical nucleic acid-based biosensing methods described so far for the determination
of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs are briefly overviewed, discussing their basics
and main features. A section pointing out general conclusions and future directions in this
field is also provided.
Results: The 42 selected contributions described electrochemical platforms to determine
drugs of interest by monitoring their specific interactions with nucleic acids (DNA and
aptamers), DNA damage and specific DNA-protein interactions. The highlighted approaches
reported the use of electrodes unmodified or modified with nanomaterials and/or
polymers in which DNA-drug interaction was followed by electrochemical detection of
DNA puric bases, active drug or diffusion-free markers, and monitoring changes in the
surface layer morphology/permeability and charge transfer resistance using different electrochemical
techniques.
Conclusion: Although electrochemical nucleic acid biosensing approaches constitute an
interesting option for drugs determination in terms of cost, simplicity and miniaturized instrumentation,
validating exhaustively their performance in real samples against conventional
methodologies and implementing them into portable and automatic high throughput devices,
together with exploring novel electrode modifications with nanomaterials and polymers and
studying in more detail their multiplexing ability for analysis of a large number of analytes, is
still needed.
