Electrochemically synthesized NiFe layered double hydroxide modified Cu(OH)2 needle-shaped nanoarrays: A novel sorbent for thin-film solid phase microextraction of antifungal drugs.

Herein, we applied a simple electrosynthesis process to deposit nickel-iron layered double hydroxides (NiFe LDH) on the surface of copper hydroxide (Cu(OH)2) needle-shaped nanoarrays and introduce a new sorbent for thin-film solid phase microextraction (TF-SPME). For this purpose, the nanoarrays were grown via electrochemical anodization on a copper foil's surface and then modified with NiFe LDH. The synthesized sorbent was characterized by field emission-scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Barrett-Joiner-Halenda (BJH) analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The Cu(OH)2-NiFe LDH based TF-SPME method was used to measure antifungal drugs in veterinary plasma samples followed by HPLC-UV analysis. The effects of various parameters in the extraction efficiency, including pH (5.0), extraction time (20 min), stirring rate (500 rpm), and salt effect (5.0%), type of eluent (acetonitrile), eluent volume (100 µL) and desorption time (5 min) were thoroughly optimized. Under the optimum conditions, limits of detection for ketoconazole, clotrimazole, and miconazole were obtained below 10 ng mL-1. Intra-day, inter-day and film-to-film RSDs% were obtained less than 6.2%, 7.3% and 7.0%, respectively. Moreover, calibration plots were linear from 30 to 5000 ng mL-1 for ketoconazole, 8.0-1000 ng mL-1 for clotrimazole, and 15-1000 ng mL-1 for miconazole, with determination coefficients between 0.9937 and 0.9971. Finally, good relative recoveries (%) in the range of 85-97% were obtained for measuring trace amounts of antifungal drugs in dogs' plasma samples. As a result, the method can be considered as an appropriate alternative to the conventional sample preparation methods for measuring trace amounts of antifungal drugs in biological samples.

Electrochemically deposition of ionic liquid modified graphene oxide for circulated headspace in-tube solid phase microextraction of naphthalene from honey samples followed by on-line liquid chromatography analysis.

In this work, an inexpensive, fast, and selective ionic liquid modified graphene oxide (GO-IL) was synthesized and electrochemically deposited on the inner surface of a stainless-steel tube. Then, it was applied for circulated headspace in-tube solid-phase microextraction (CHS-IT-SPME) of naphthalene from honey samples. Next, the coated tube was replaced with the sample loop of a six-port injection valve for on-line desorption and further HPLC-UV analysis of naphthalene. The sorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Different parameters affecting the procedure efficiency, including extraction temperature, extraction time, salt concentration, and sample volume were optimized by central composite design and response surface methodology. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear within the range of 0.3-200 ng mL-1, with a regression coefficient of 0.9972. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were found to be 0.1 ng mL-1 and 0.3 ng mL-1, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day RSDs% for three replicate measurements of naphthalene at the concentration of 10 ng mL-1 were obtained 3.9% and 5.0%, respectively. Also, good tube-to-tube reproducibility of 5.3% was achieved. Finally, the method was successfully applied for measuring trace amounts of naphthalene in honey samples. Relative recoveries were calculated within the range of 90.0-106.5%, indicating excellent efficiency of the proposed method.

In-tube stir bar sorptive extraction based on 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane surface-modified Ce-doped ZnAl layered double hydroxide thin film for determination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in saliva samples.

A thin-film based on 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane surface-modified Ce-doped zinc-aluminum layered double hydroxide was synthesized on the inner surface of an aluminum tube. It has been applied to in-tube stir bar sorptive extraction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in saliva samples followed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The sorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and elemental mapping. The extraction parameters including sample pH (4.2), extraction time (10 min), stirring speed (800 rpm), type of eluent (acidified tetrahydrofuran), eluent volume (100 µL), and desorption time (6 min) were thoroughly optimized. Under the optimum conditions, limits of detection were found to be less than 5.0 ng mL-1. Calibration plots were linear within the range 10-1000 ng mL-1 (R2 > 0.9982). Absolute recoveries were calculated in the range 63.5 to 72.4%. The repeatability (intra- and inter-day precision) and reproducibility (tube-to-tube precision) at concentrations of 50, 250, and 500 ng mL-1 were less than 7.6% and 9.4%, respectively. The method accuracy based on the relative error was calculated at these concentrations and ranged from - 4.9 to - 9.3% for intra-day relative error (%) and - 6.8 to - 11% for inter-day relative error (%). Finally, the method applicability was examined for the determination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in saliva samples, and good relative recoveries were obtained within the range 86.5 to 95.2%. As a result, the introduced method can be applied as a suitable alternative to measuring nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in biological fluids. Graphical abstract A surface-modified Ce-doped ZnAl LDH thin film was synthesized on the inner surface of an Al tube and applied for in-tube stir bar sorptive extraction of NSAIDs in saliva.

Enhanced sensitivity of VEGF detection using catalase-mediated chemiluminescence immunoassay based on CdTe QD/H2O2 system.

BACKGROUND: Since vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a significant regulator of cancer angiogenesis, it is essential to develop a technology for its sensitive detection. Herein, we sensitized a chemiluminescence (CL) immunoassay through the combination of H2O2-sensitive TGA-CdTe quantum dot (QD) as signal transduction, dextran as a cross-linker to prepare enzyme-labeled antigen and the ultrahigh bioactivity of catalase (CAT) as reporter enzyme. RESULTS: Under the optimized experimental conditions, the chemiluminescence enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CL-ELISA) method can detect VEGF in the excellent linear range of 2-35,000 pg mL-1, with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.5 pg mL-1 which was approximately ten times lower than the commercial colorimetric immunoassay. This proposed method has been successfully applied to the clinical determination of VEGF in the human serum samples, and the results illustrated an excellent correlation with the conventional ELISA method (R2 = 0.997). The suitable recovery rate of the method in the serum ranged from 97 to 107%, with a relative standard deviation of 1.2% to 13.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The novel immunoassay proposes a highly sensitive, specific, and stable method for very low levels detection of VEGF that can be used in the primary diagnosis of tumors. With the well-designed sensing platform, this approach has a broad potential to be applied for quantitative analysis of numerous disease-related protein biomarkers for which antibodies are available.

Micro solid phase extraction of parabens from breast milk samples using Mg-Al layered double hydroxide functionalized partially reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite.

In this study, a magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide coated on graphene oxide nanosheets was synthesized. It was successfully applied as an effective medium for determination of the parabens in human breast milk samples using micro solid phase extraction by packed sorbent (in spinal syringe format) followed by HPLC-UV. Effective parameters were optimized by central composite design. Under the optimal conditions, figures of merit of the developed method were obtained in which the limits of detection were found between 3.0 and 5.0 µg L-1. The calibration plots were linear in the range of 10-1000 µg L-1. Intra- and inter-day RSD% (n = 3) at two concentration levels of 25 and 250 µg L-1 varied between 4.2 and 9.5%. The relative recovery values for the spiked breast milk samples were in the acceptable range of 87.2-104.4%. Accordingly, the proposed method exhibits proper sensitivity, good repeatability, and acceptable applicability for the determination of parabens in complex matrices.

Porphyrin-functionalized graphene oxide sheets: An efficient nanomaterial for micro solid phase extraction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from urine samples.

In this work, porphyrin-functionalized graphene oxide nanosheets (GO@meso-tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin) were synthesized and employed as the sorbent. Porphyrins owing to their unique structures and tunable terminal functional groups are expected to be promising media for extraction of the desired analytes. Also, GO with a high specific surface area has exhibited good potential for the extraction purposes. Inspired by these intriguing properties, the combination of GO and porphyrin can benefit both of these amazing features. The synthesized sorbent was utilized for micro solid phase extraction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs followed by HPLC-UV. Optimization of the experimental factors including sorbent amount, sample pH, sample and eluent flowrates, eluent volume, and the number of desorption cycles were performed with the aid of central composite design. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration curves were linear within the range of 2.0-600 ng mL-1 and limits of detection were found between 0.5-2.0 ng mL-1. The preconcentration factors and absolute recoveries were obtained in the range of 4.80-9.79 and 29%-59%, respectively. The matrix effect for the urine samples varied between 81.9%-91.6% at two concentrations of 50 and 300 ng mL-1, respectively. Intra- and inter-day RSD% (n = 3) of the spiked urine samples at three level concentrations of 25, 100, and 300 ng mL-1 were less than 10%. The relative recoveries of the urine samples were calculated in the range of 85.2-98.6%. Eventually, the method exhibits proper sensitivity, excellent repeatability, high reusability, and acceptable precision and accuracy.

Synthesis and characterization of polyamide-graphene oxide-polypyrrole electrospun nanofibers for spin-column micro solid phase extraction of parabens in milk samples.

In the present study, an electrospun composite of polyamide-graphene oxide-polypyrrole was synthesized. The characterization of the synthesized material was accomplished using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). FESEM images showed uniform and beadles nanofibers. The composite was employed as a novel sorbent for spin-column micro solid phase extraction to determine parabens in milk samples. Addition of graphene oxide and polypyrrole into the polymeric network of polyamide significantly improves the extraction efficiency of the electrospun sorbent due to providing the possibility of various interactions with the target analytes such as hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and π-π stacking. All effective parameters on the efficiency of both adsorption and desorption steps were optimized. These parameters were pH of sample solution (5.0), sorbent amount (20 mg), type and volume of desorption solvent (200 µL of methanol), number of cycles (7 and 14) and centrifugation speed (600 and 500 rpm) of both adsorption and desorption steps. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration plots were linear within the range of 10-1000, 15-1000, and 20-1000 ng mL-1 for methyl paraben, ethyl paraben and propyl paraben, respectively. Limits of detection were obtained lower than 7.0 ng mL-1 by HPLC-UV. Intra- and inter-assay relative standard deviations were less than 8.6% and 5.8%, respectively. Finally, the method was successfully applied for determination of parabens in some milk samples and good recoveries were obtained within the range of 81.7-97.8%. The results demonstrated good efficiency of the synthesized electrospun composite nanofibers as the packing material for spin-column micro solid phase extraction.

A promising design of microfluidic electromembrane extraction coupled with sensitive colorimetric detection for colorless compounds based on quantum dots fluorescence.

In the present study, a microfluidic platform was exploited for electromembrane extraction. For device integration as a lab-on-a-chip system, the detection step was carried out by a colorimetric method based on fluorescence quenching of quantum dots. The model analyte was transferred under a pulsed applied electrical field across a polypropylene membrane, impregnated with 1-Octanol, into a final aqueous acceptor phase. The obtained acceptor phase was added into a solution containing CdTe quantum dots. Quenching of the quantum dots was tracked by analyzing the main three color components of red, green, and blue in different concentration levels of the analyte. All effective parameters on the extraction efficiency, fluorescence detection, and synthesis of quantum dots were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the detection was accomplished by three different detection methods including HPLC-UV, spectrofluorometric detection, as well as colorimetry detection via a smartphone. Calibration curves were linear in the range of 2.0-500 µg L-1 for LC-UV, 30-2500 µg L-1 for fluorescence detection, and 2.5-20 µg mL-1 for image analysis. Inter- and intra-assay relative standard deviations were less than 10.1% in all detection modes.

Rapid ultrasound-assisted dispersive solid-phase extraction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in urine using oleic acid functionalized magnetic graphene oxide.

We describe an ultrasound-assisted magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction based on oleic acid functionalized magnetic graphene oxide followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The method was applied for the simultaneous determination of ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, and mefenamic acid in urine. The application of sonication led to the good dispersion of the sorbent, and consequently, significant shortened the extraction time. The sorbent was successfully characterized by different techniques. The influence of the adsorption parameters was optimized using a rotational central composite design. In order to improve desorption efficiency, parameters such as type and volume of the eluent and sonication time were investigated and optimized through a one variable at a time method. Under the optimum conditions, limits of detection and precision were between 3.0-25 ng/mL (n = 5) and 3.2-7.1%, respectively. The preconcentration factors were found to be 74 for naproxen, 76 for diclofenac, 80 for ibuprofen, and 66 for mefenamic acid corresponding to the absolute recovery within the range of 82.5-100%. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied for simultaneous determination of target analytes in human urine samples. The relative recovery was within the range of 91.4-113.3%, indicating the good reliability and accuracy of the method.

Magnetic nanocomposite of chitosan-Schiff base grafted graphene oxide for lead analysis in whole blood.

A new Schiff base grafted graphene oxide-magnetic chitosan was utilized as a novel sorbent for extraction and quantification of lead ion in blood samples via dispersive magnetic solid phase extraction. The prepared nanocomposite sorbent was characterized by SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XRD, VSM and EDX and the quantification analysis was performed by microsampling flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The important parameters on the extraction efficiency were thoroughly optimized by means of experimental design. Under the optimized conditions, an aliquot of 50 mL of sample (pH 6.3) was extracted utilizing 60 mg of magnetic nanoparticles during 30 min. The sorbent was afterward desorbed using 1.0 mL of 0.8 mol L-1 HNO3 under fierce vortex for 6 min. A preconcentration factor of 20 and an absolute recovery of 40% were provided by the proposed method. The limits of detection (3S/N) and quantification (10 S/N) were 0.06 ng mL-1 and 2.0 ng mL-1, respectively. An excellent linearity was achieved within the range of (10-800) ng mL-1 and the regression coefficient was 0.9903. The intra- and inter-day RSDs% were found to be 1.8% and 7.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the method was applied for analysis of blood samples and good accuracies within the range of 97%-108% were obtained.

Magnetically assisted matrix solid phase dispersion for extraction of parabens from breast milks.

In the present work, magnetically assisted matrix solid phase dispersion (MA-MSPD) was used as an efficient solid phase extraction method. MA-MSPD followed by a dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was applied for determination of parabens in breast milks. The analysis were performed using LC-UV and LC-MS/MS. Poly(indole-thiophene) coated magnetic graphene oxide (MGO@PIT) was synthesized, characterized and used as the sorbent. Na2SO4 was used as the drying salt as well as matrix dispersing agent. Exact amounts of MGO@PIT and Na2SO4 were added into 200µL volume of the milk and the mixture was gently blended to obtain a dry powder. The blend was dispersed into ultrapure water and stirred. Because of dissolving of the matrix dispersant in water, only the magnetic sorbent is remained into water which can be easily separated by a magnet. Next, the sorbent was eluted with a suitable solvent to desorb the analyte and the eluent was used as the disperser solvent for the subsequent DLLME. In this approach, the target analytes were directly adsorbed on the surface of the magnetic sorbent without any sample pretreatment. Compared with conventional MSPD, MA-MSPD increases the simplicity of the extraction procedure, decreases the extraction time and eliminates the column packing as well as its related drawbacks. The optimum extraction parameters were obtained as 50mg of MGO@PIT, 550mg of Na2SO4 in 200µL of the milk sample, 1.0mL of methanol as the eluent solvent under fierce vortex for 2.0min and 100µL of 1-octanol as the extraction solvent. Under the optimal conditions, the extraction recoveries greater than 83% were obtained, and LOD and LOQ values were found 25ngmL-1 (about 0.5ngmL-1 by LC-MS/MS) and 50ngmL-1 using LC-UV, respectively. The calibration curves were in the range of 50-4000ngmL-1 with the determination coefficients (R2) higher than 0.998. Relative standard deviations (RSD%) for intra- and inter-day precisions were less than 7.5% and 11.3%, respectively. The results confirmed that the proposed method is a rapid, feasible and convenient technique which makes it suitable for the analysis of parabens from breast milk samples.

CdTe amplification nanoplatforms capped with thioglycolic acid for electrochemical aptasensing of ultra-traces of ATP.

A "signal off" voltammetric aptasensor was developed for the sensitive and selective detection of ultra-low levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). For this purpose, a new strategy based on the principle of recognition-induced switching of aptamers from DNA/DNA duplex to DNA/target complex was designed using thioglycolic acid (TGA)-capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) as the signal amplifying nano-platforms. Owing to the small size, high surface-to-volume ratio and good conductivity, quantum dots were immobilized on the electrode surface for signal amplification. In this work, methylene blue (MB) adsorbed to DNA was used as a sensitive redox reporter. The intensity of voltammetric signal of MB was found to decrease linearly upon ATP addition over a concentration range of 0.1nM to 1.6µM with a correlation coefficient of 0.9924. Under optimized conditions, the aptasensor was able to selectively detect ATP with a limit of detection of 45pM at 3σ. The results also demonstrated that the QDs-based amplification strategy could be feasible for ATP assay and presented a potential universal method for other small biomolecular aptasensors.

Improving the luminescence properties of aequorin by conjugating to CdSe/ZnS quantum dot nanoparticles: Red shift and slowing decay rate.

Changing the properties of photoprotein aequorin such as the wavelength emission and decay half-life by using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) phenomenon is the main aim in this paper. BRET system was set up with CdSe/ZnS quantum dot nanoparticles as an acceptor molecule and photoprotein as an energy donor molecule. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanoparticles with very interesting optical properties, including broad excitation spectra, narrow and the symmetric band width emission spectra, tunable by their sizes, compositions, negligible photo-bleaching and good chemical and photo-stability. In this QD-BRET system, aequorin is conjugated to the carboxyl groups on quantum dot surface by EDC/NHS chemistry as cross linker. Bioluminescence energy generates by aequorin upon adding Ca(2+) and transfers to the quantum dots in a radiationless manner and emits at a longer wavelength. The determined bioluminescent parameters for this method included aequorin activity, emission spectra and decay half-life time. In fact, this spectrum tuning strategy resulted in a change in bioluminescent properties of photoprotein, therefore, the maximum emission wavelength shifted from 455 to 540nm and the decay time increased from 3.76 to 12.11s. Nowadays, photoproteins with different characteristics are capable of being employed as a reporter in multi-analyte detections and in vivo imaging.

Non-Faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as a reliable and facile method: Determination of the potassium ion concentration using a guanine rich aptasensor.

In this article we report the application of non-Faradaic mode of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for determination of potassium ion (K(+)) concentration using a guanine rich K(+)-selective aptasensor (K(+)-aptasensor). This is a simple, electroactive probe free, sensitive and reproducible method allowing determination of K(+) ion concentration without any disturbance from electroactive probes used in similar works based on the Faradaic EIS method. Herein, a wide linear range of K(+) ion concentrations (1 µM-0.1mM) with a 200 nM limit of detection was achieved which is better than most of the previously reported Faradaic biosensing methods. The proposed method maintains valuable applications when it is used for K(+) determination in the presence of potentially important interferences in biological media. Thus, application of the non-Faradaic EIS method for sensing the concentration of K(+) ion with the presented K(+)-aptasensor can find an important role in clinical assay.

Polypyrrole-coated magnetic nanoparticles as an efficient adsorbent for RB19 synthetic textile dye: Removal and kinetic study.

The present work deals with the first attempt to study the removal of synthetic textile dye, reactive blue 19 (RB19), using the magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles modified by pyrrole (PPy@Fe3O4 MNPs) as an efficient adsorbent. The nanoadsorbent was synthesized using chemical co-precipitation. Scanning electron microscopy and FT-IR were used to characterize nanoparticles. Factors affecting the dye adsorption including the pH of the dye solution, amount of adsorbent and contact time were also further investigated. Sorption of the RB19 on PPy@Fe3O4 MNPs reached to equilibrium at contact time less than 10 min and fitted well to the Langmuir adsorption model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 112.36 mg g(-1). Experiments for adsorption kinetic were carried out and the data fitted well according to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Moreover, the MNPs were recovered with over than 90% efficiency using methanol as elution agent.

Antioxidant activity assay based on the inhibition of oxidation and photobleaching of L-cysteine-capped CdTe quantum dots.

Quantum dots (QDs) have recently been the focus of attention of many investigators for development of diagnostic tools in many research areas. In this work, we established a new QD-based assay to evaluate the antioxidant/polyphenolic activity. This assay is based on measurement of the inhibitory effect of the antioxidant/polyphenolic compounds on the UV-induced bleaching of CdTe QDs with L-cysteine capping. QDs exhibited excellent photostability without any UV exposure, while they bleached rapidly under UV irradiation. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under UV irradiation is probably the main cause of the photobleaching of QDs. By comparing the photostability of QDs in buffer solution in the absence and presence of sodium azide, as a known (1)O(2) quencher, the involvement of (1)O(2) in photobleaching of QDs was confirmed. The photobleaching effect induced by ROS could be reduced in the presence of antioxidant/polyphenolic compounds. We tested several antioxidant/polyphenolic compounds as well as known antioxidants such as trolox and 4 different types of tea. The results obtained by the QD-based assay revealed a very good correlation with the data acquired by Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of the mechanism and the solution for photobleaching of QDs under UV irradiation might be very meaningful in promoting their clinical applications.