A voltammetric study on the interaction between isoproterenol and cardiomyocyte DNA by using a glassy carbon electrode modified with carbon nanotubes, polyaniline and gold nanoparticles

An understanding of the mechanism of interaction between the isoproterenol (a β-adrenoreceptor agonist and TAAR1 agonist) and cardiomyocytes is a crucial area of research in order to overcome the side effects of isoproterenol for clinical treatment. The authors describe an electrochemical method to study the effects and response of cardiomyocyte DNA following treatment with isoproterenol. High-purity DNA was isolated from primary cardiomyocytes and used to modify a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with a nanocomposite of the type DNA/AuNP/PANI/MWCNT (where AuNP stands for gold nanoparticles, PANI for polyaniline, and MWCNT for multiwalled carbon nanotubes). Isoproterenol has a characteristic differential pulse voltammetric peak at approximately 0.38 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), and this signal was used to monitor interactions with DNA double strand with increasing concentrations of isoproterenol. It is shown that DNA is damaged which can be confirmed by detection of DNA damage-related protein expression. The primary mode of binding between isoproterenol and DNA is demonstrated to be intercalation, and the redox reaction is shown to be controlled by adsorption and to be an irreversible single-electron transfer process. Graphical abstract A sensitive electrochemical sensor for the determination of interaction between isoproterenol and cardiomyocyte DNA has been developed by modifying a glassy carbon electrode with a nanocomposite consisting of carbon nanotubes, polyaniline, and gold nanoparticles.