Sensitive electrochemical measurement of hydroxyl radical generation induced by the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system

A sensitive electrochemical measurement system for hydroxyl radical (OH) was developed using enzyme-catalyzed signal amplification. In the presence of 2,6-xylenol as a trapping agent, glucose as a substrate, and pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH) as a catalyst, the amperometric signal of the trapping adduct 2,6-dimethylhydroquinone (DMHQ) produced by the hydroxylation of 2,6-xylenol was able to be amplified and detected sensitively. The limit of detection (signal/noise [S/N] = 3) for DMHQ was 1 nM. There was no significant interference from urate and other oxidizable compounds in the reaction mixture at the applied potential of 0 V versus Ag/AgCl. This method was employed to observe the OH generation induced by the xanthine-xanthine oxidase (XO) system. The reaction rates of the DMHQ production induced from the xanthine-XO system in the presence and absence of various Fe(III) complexes and proteins were compared. Those with a free coordination site on the Fe atom effectively enhanced the OH generation.