A novel electroanalytical method for simultaneous detection of two neurotransmitter dopamine and serotonin in human serum

Background: Simultaneous measurement of dopamine and serotonin levels is of greater value because of their coexistence in biological systems. These facts have encouraged chemists to develop faster, simpler, and more sensitive techniques to meet the various demands and many works have been published describing the measurement of serum dopamine and serotonin concentrations using chemically modified electrodes. New method: Electrochemical techniques based on various chemically modified electrodes have been widely explored for the single determination of dopamine and serotonin in vivo or in vitro. To the best of our knowledge, there are only limit reports on the electrochemical determination of dopamine and serotonin using mesoporous materials. On the other hand, simultaneous measurement of dopamine and serotonin concentrations on the basis of silica based mesoporous materials has not been reported. Results: In the present work, the development an effective electroanalytical method for the simultaneous determination of dopamine and serotonin using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry on the mobile crystalline material-41 functionalized by n-aminopropyl is described. Mobile crystalline material-41 functionalized by n-aminopropyl, a kind of mesoporous silica, was synthesized and then used to prepare an electrochemical device for simultaneous determination of dopamine and serotonin. A validated differential pulse voltammetry procedure was described to assay two neurotransmitters separately or combined in human serum. Comparison with existing method: The prepared sensor shows voltammetric responses with high sensitivity for dopamine and serotonin in optimal conditions, which makes it very suitable for simultaneous determination of these compounds. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.