Cell chip with nano-scale peptide layer to detect dopamine secretion from neuronal cells

A cell chip with a nano-scaled thin film of cysteine modified synthetic oligopeptide C(RGD) ₄ was fabricated to detect dopamine secretion from neuronal cells. Thin C(RGD) ₄ peptide layer was fabricated on chip surface for increasing the binding affinity of cells to gold electrode surface, which is essential for the electrochemical detection of dopamine released from PC12 cells. The structural formation of the peptide thin film was confirmed by both atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Redox characteristics of chemical dopamine were firstly char-acterized by voltammetric tool to compare the dopamine released from PC12 cells. Cells grown on the chip were then subjected to cyclic voltammetric (CV) analysis after 48 hours of incubation. The intensities of reduction peaks were found to be increased with increasing the concentrations of PC12 cells. In addition, the electrochemical redox signal increased more in the cells treated with glucose and potassium compared to the control group. Hence, the developed cell chip can be used to determine the effects of drugs on living cells electrochemically.