Open AccessDetection of trace concentrations of S-nitrosothiols by means of a capacitive sensor
Author(s) -
James M. Seckler,
Nikki M. Meyer,
Spencer T. Burton,
James N. Bates,
Benjamin Gaston,
Stephen J. Lewis
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0187149
Subject(s) - capacitive sensing , trace (psycholinguistics) , chemistry , molecule , nanotechnology , biological system , biophysics , materials science , computer science , biology , organic chemistry , philosophy , linguistics , operating system
Small molecule S-nitrosothiols are a class of endogenous chemicals in the body, which have been implicated in a variety of biological functions. However, the labile nature of NO and the limits of current detection assays have made studying these molecules difficult. Here we present a method for detecting trace concentrations of S-nitrosothiols in biological fluids. Capacitive sensors when coupled to a semiconducting material represent a method for detecting trace quantities of a chemical in complex solutions. We have taken advantage of the semiconducting and chemical properties of polydopamine to construct a capacitive sensor and associated method of use, which specifically senses S-nitrosothiols in complex biological solutions.