Application of electrochemical properties of ordered mesoporous carbon to the determination of glutathione and cysteine

In this study, the electrochemical activity of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) was investigated and applied to the determination of glutathione (GSH) and cysteine (CySH). It has been demonstrated that the ordered mesostructure of OMC has an important role in the electrocatalytic activity towards thiols, and the destruction of this structure results in the decrease of such properties. The electrochemical behavior of GSH at an OMC electrode was also investigated. The results showed that the process of oxidation of GSH at the OMC electrode is differs from that of CySH at the same electrode by the peak at 0.47 V associated with CySH. This difference helped to reduce the interference of GSH during the determination of CySH in the presence of GSH. A sensor for the two thiols was developed with acceptable sensitivity and detection limits in a large determination range. These results obtained in the physiological medium and in the physiological levels of GSH and CySH, suggest that OMC is a promising material in the detection of thiols in biologically relevant experimental conditions (in terms of pH).