Serotonin (5-HT) is one of the key neurotransmitters in the human body, regulating numerous physiological functions. A disruption in 5-HT homeostasis could result in serious health problems, including neurodegenerative disorders, depression, and 5-HT syndrome. Detection of 5-HT concentrations in biological fluids, such as urine, is a potential solution for early diagnosis of these diseases. In this study, we developed a novel, simple, and low-cost electrochemical sensing platform consisting of a portable workstation with customized electrodes for 5-HT detection in artificial biological fluids. Nafion/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and electrochemically modified carbon fiber microelectrodes (Nafion–CNT/EC CFMEs) displayed improved 5-HT sensitivity and selectivity. Together with a customized Ag/AgCl reference electrode and Pt counter electrode, the portable 5-HT sensing platform had a sensitivity of 0.074 μA μM −1 and a limit of detection (LOD) of 140 nM. This system was also assessed to measure 5-HT spiked in artificial urine samples, showing nearly full recovery rates. These satisfactory results demonstrated that the portable system exhibits outstanding performance and confirmed the feasibility of 5-HT detection, which can be used to provide point-of-care analysis in actual biological samples. 
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                            Adsorption Kinetic Model Predicts and Improves Reliability of Electrochemical Serotonin Detection
                        
                    
    
            Serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter involved in many biophysiological processes in the brain and in the gastrointestinal tract. Electrochemical methods are commonly used to quantify 5-HT, but their reliability may suffer due to the time-dependent nature of adsorption-limited 5-HT detection, as well as electrode fouling over repeated measurements. Mathematical characterization and modeling of adsorption-based electrochemical signal generation would improve reliability of 5-HT measurement. Here, a model was developed to track 5-HT electrode adsorption and resulting current output by combining Langmuir adsorption kinetic equations and adsorption-limited electrochemical equations. 5-HT adsorption binding parameters were experimentally determined at a carbon-nanotube coated Au electrode: KD = 7 × 10−7 M, kon = 130 M−1 s−1, koff = 9.1 × 10−5 s−1. A computational model of 5-HT adsorption was then constructed, which could effectively predict 5-HT fouling over 50 measurements (R2 = 0.9947), as well as predict electrode responses over varying concentrations and measurement times. The model aided in optimizing the measurement of 5-HT secreted from a model enterochromaffin cell line—RIN14B—minimizing measurement time. The presented model simplified and improved the characterization of 5-HT detection at the selected electrode. This could be applied to many other adsorption-limited electrochemical analytes and electrode types, contributing to the improvement of application-specific modeling and optimization processes. 
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                            - Award ID(s):
- 1926793
- PAR ID:
- 10454220
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Methods and Protocols
- Volume:
- 6
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2409-9279
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 6
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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