Carbon nanotube-based electrochemical biosensors for determination of Candida albicans's quorum sensing molecule

Candida albicans produces various quorum sensing molecules (QSMs) which are involved in biological processes, e.g. morphological changes or biofilm formation. Thus, a sensitive and selective electrochemical assay was developed for determination of tryptophol as one of the most important QSMs. Preparation, characterization, and testing the electrocatalytic activity of prepared sensors with various sensing elements and nanomaterials were investigated. In addition, the effects of supporting electrolytes, pH of buffer solutions, scan rate, and possible interferences on the response of tryptophol's sensor were studied. Eventually, improving the sensitivity and selectivity were achieved using a combination of 12-crwon-4-ether and MWCNTs (10% w/w for each). With the developed electrochemical sensor, the linear response was observed from 10 p.g/ml to 110 mu g/ml with the detection limit of 1 mu g/ml and regression coefficient of 0.998. Consequently, the method was successfully applied for the detection of tryptophol in the fungal culture. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.