Development of a highly sensitive Prussian-blue-based enzymatic biosensor for l-carnitine employing the thiol/disulfide exchange reaction

This is the first report of conducting proof-of-concept study for amperometric acetyltransferase-based l-carnitine sensor by employing the thiol/disulfide exchange reaction. The carnitine acetyltransferase (CrAT) catalyzes the reaction between acetyl-CoA and l-carnitine to produce CoA which is difficult to detect directly by electrochemical methods owing to steric hindrance and electrostatic effect of CoA. The thiol/disulfide exchange reaction between CoA and cystamine was mediated in the enzymatic reaction to produce electrochemically detectable low molecular weight of cationic cysteamine. The sensor exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity for l-carnitine in the concentration range 0.28–50 µM with a limit of detection of 0.28 µM. This is a promising strategy for l-carnitine sensing in point-of-care testing applications. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]