Simple, rapid and enzyme-free assay for potentiometric determination of L-cysteine based on meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid self-assembled gold electrode

As a sulfur containing α-amino acid in nature, L-cysteine plays a crucial role in a variety of metabolic pathways with many important physiological functions. However, it is still a great challenge to construct a simple and rapid approach for L-cysteine up to now. In this paper, a simple, rapid and enzyme-free method was developed for potentiometric determination of L-cysteine by using -2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid self-assembled monolayer on gold electrode. The surface morphology and property of self-assembled membrane with and without L-cysteine combined were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. The recognition mechanism may be attributed to formation of hydrogen bonds between -2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid and the target molecule of L-cysteine, producing a double electric layer at the sensing interface, that the membrane potential decreases with increasing concentration of L-cysteine. The assay results showed that good linear potential response to L-cysteine in Tris-HCl buffer solution (pH=7.0) was obtained in a range of 1.0 × 10 to 1.0 × 10 mol/L, with a slope of −57.00 ± 0.63 mV/-pc (25 °C) and a detection limit of 7.9 × 10 mol/L. The electrode possessed fast response time (45 s), good reproducibility, and strong anti-interference performance. Moreover, the electrode can be well applied to the detection of L-cysteine in pig serums with a recovery rate of 94.3 ∼ 106.3%, indicating a promising application prospect.