New Amperometric Cholesterol Biosensors Using Poly(ethyleneoxide) Conducting Polymers

Accumulation of cholesterol in human blood can cause several health problems such as heart disease, coronary artery disease, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, cerebral thrombosis, etc. Therefore, simple and fast cholesterol determination in blood is clinically important. In this study, two types of amperometric cholesterol biosensors were designed by physically entrapping cholesterol oxidase in conducting polymers; thiophene capped poly(ethyleneoxide)/polypyrrole (PEO-co-PPy) and 3-methylthienyl methacrylate-co-p-vinyl benzyloxy poly(ethyleneoxide)/polypyrrole (CP-co-PPy). PEO-co-PPy and CP-co-PPy were synthesized electrochemically and cholesterol oxidase was immobilized by entrapment during electropolymerization. The amperometric responses of the enzyme electrodes were measured by monitoring oxidation current of H2O2 at +0.7 V in the absence of a mediator. Kinetic parameters, such as Km and Imax, operational and storage stabilities, effects of pH and temperature were determined for both entrapment supports. Km values were found as 1.47 and 5.16 mM for PEO-co-PPy and CP-co-PPy enzyme electrodes, respectively. By using these Km values, it can be observed that ChOx immobilized in PEO-co-PPy shows higher affinity towards the substrate.