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Nitric oxide release from a single cell measured in situ by a porphyrinic-based microsensor

Nature volume 358, pages 676–678 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

NITRIC oxide is an important bioregulatory molecule, being responsible, for example, for activity of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF)1–4. Acute hypertension5, diabetes6, ischaemia7and atherosclerosis8 are associated with abnormalities of EDRF. Nitric oxide is thought to be a retrograde messenger in the central nervous system9. The technology is not yet available for rapid detection of NO released by a single cell in the presence of oxygen and/or nitrite, so the release, distribution and reactivity of endogenous NO in biological systems cannot be analysed. Here we describe a porphyrinic microsensor that we have developed and applied to monitoring NO release in a microsystem. We selectively measured in situ the NO released from a single cell with a response time of less than 10 ms. The microsensor consists of p-type semiconducting polymeric porphyrin and a cationic exchanger (Nation) deposited on a thermally sharpened carbon fibre with a tip diameter of ∼0.5 (μm. The microsensor, which can be operated in either the amperometric or voltammetric mode, is characterized by a linear response up to 300 μM and a detection limit of 10 nM. Nitric oxide at the level of 10−20 mols can be detected in a single cell.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, 48309–4401, USA

    Tadeusz Malinski & Ziad Taha

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  1. Tadeusz Malinski
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  2. Ziad Taha
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Malinski, T., Taha, Z. Nitric oxide release from a single cell measured in situ by a porphyrinic-based microsensor. Nature 358, 676–678 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/358676a0

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