Redox Sensor Array with 23.5-µm Resolution for Real-Time Imaging of Hydrogen Peroxide and Glutamate Based on Charge-Transfer-Type Potentiometric Sensor.

Towards clarifying the spatio-temporal neurotransmitter distribution, potentiometric redox sensor arrays with 23.5-µm resolution were fabricated. The sensor array based on a charge-transfer-type potentiometric sensor comprises 128×128 pixels with gold electrodes deposited on the surface of pixels. The sensor output corresponding to the interfacial potential of the electrode changed logarithmically with the mixture ratio of K3Fe(CN)6 and K4Fe(CN)6, where the redox sensitivity reached 49.9 mV/dec. By employing hydrogen peroxidase as an enzyme and ferrocene as an electron mediator, the sensing characteristics for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were investigated. The analyses of the sensing characteristics revealed that the sensitivity was about 44.7 mV/dec., comparable to the redox sensitivity, while the limit of detection (LOD) was achieved to be 1 µM. Furthermore, the oxidation state of the electron mediator can be the key to further lowering the LOD. Then, by immobilizing oxidizing enzyme for H2O2 and glutamate oxidase, glutamate (Glu) measurements were conducted. As a result, similar sensitivity and LOD to those of H2O2 were obtained. Finally, the real-time distribution of 1 µM Glu was visualized, demonstrating the feasibility of our device as a high-resolution bioimaging technique.

CMOS-Based Redox-Type Label-Free ATP Image Sensor for In Vitro Sensitive Imaging of Extracellular ATP.

Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) plays a crucial role as an extracellular signaling molecule in the central nervous system and is closely related to various nerve diseases. Therefore, label-free imaging of extracellular ATP dynamics and spatiotemporal analysis is crucial for understanding brain function. To decrease the limit of detection (LOD) of imaging extracellular ATP, we fabricated a redox-type label-free ATP image sensor by immobilizing glycerol-kinase (GK), L-α-glycerophosphate oxidase (LGOx), and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzymes in a polymer film on a gold electrode-modified potentiometric sensor array with a 37.3 µm-pitch. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is generated through the enzymatic reactions from GK to LGOx in the presence of ATP and glycerol, and ATP can be detected as changes in its concentration using an electron mediator. Using this approach, the LOD for ATP was 2.8 µM with a sensitivity of 77 ± 3.8 mV/dec., under 10 mM working buffers at physiological pH, such as in in vitro experiments, and the LOD was great superior 100 times than that of the hydrogen ion detection-based image sensor. This redox-type ATP image sensor may be successfully applied for in vitro sensitive imaging of extracellular ATP dynamics in brain nerve tissue or cells.

A bio-image sensor for simultaneous detection of multi-neurotransmitters.

We report here a new bio-image sensor for simultaneous detection of spatial and temporal distribution of multi-neurotransmitters. It consists of multiple enzyme-immobilized membranes on a 128 × 128 pixel array with read-out circuit. Apyrase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), as selective elements, are used to recognize adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and acetylcholine (ACh), respectively. To enhance the spatial resolution, hydrogen ion (H+) diffusion barrier layers are deposited on top of the bio-image sensor and demonstrated their prevention capability. The results are used to design the space among enzyme-immobilized pixels and the null H+ sensor to minimize the undesired signal overlap by H+ diffusion. Using this bio-image sensor, we can obtain H+ diffusion-independent imaging of concentration gradients of ATP and ACh in real-time. The sensing characteristics, such as sensitivity and detection of limit, are determined experimentally. With the proposed bio-image sensor the possibility exists for customizable monitoring of the activities of various neurochemicals by using different kinds of proton-consuming or generating enzymes.