Real-time monitoring of NO release from single cells using carbon fiber microdisk electrodes modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes

In this paper, a novel NO electrochemical microsensor, which is fabricated by modifying the surface of a carbon fiber microdisk electrode (CFMDE, diameter: 5–7 μm) with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and Nafion membrane, is reported for the first time. The modification of SWNTs dramatically improves the sensitivity of CFMDEs, and the detection limit for NO is 4.3 nM that is nearly 10 times lower than that from the bare one and lower than most NO electrochemical sensors reported before. The Nafion membrane offers a good barrier to some interferents such as nitrite and ascorbic acid without losing response speed to NO. The sensor has been successfully applied to the measurement of NO release from single isolated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Real-time amperometric data show that the addition of l-arginine (l-arg) or acetylcholine (ACh) can cause a quick increase in NO production with a maximum concentration of 232 ± 44 nM (n = 5) and 159 ± 29 nM (n = 5), respectively.