Chitosan lecithin nanocomposite based electrochemical biosensor for glycine detection in biological matrices

Increased glycine concentrations are associated with altered metabolism of cancer cells and is reflected in the bodily fluids of the brain cancer patients. Various studies have been conducted in past to detect glycine as an imaging biomarker via NMR Spectroscopy tools. However, the use is limited because of the low concentration and different in vivo detection due to overlapping of peaks with myo-inositol in same spectral position. Alongside, little is known about the electrochemical potential of Glycine as a biomarker for brain cancer. The prime impetus of this study was to check the feasibility of glycine as non-invasive biomarker for brain cancer. A divergent approach to detect glycine “non-enzymatically” via unique chitosan lecithin nanocomposite has been utilised during this study. The electrochemical inactivity at provided potential that prevented glycine to get oxidized or reduced without mediator was compensated utilising the chitosan-lecithin nanocomposite. Thus, a redox mediator (Prussian blue) was used for high sensitivity and indirect detection of glycine. The chitosan nanoparticles-lecithin nanocomposite is used as a matrix. The electrochemical analysis of the onco-metabolomic biomarker (glycine) utilizing cyclic voltammetry in glycine spiked multi-Purpose artificial urine was performed to check distribution of glycine over physiological range of glycine. A wide linear range of response varying over the physiological range from 7 to 240 μM with a LOD 8.5 μM was obtained, showing potential of detection in biological samples. We have further evaluated our results via simulating the interaction of mediator and matrix with Glycine by HOMO-LUMO band fluctuations.