Fabrication of a novel laccase biosensor based on silica nanoparticles modified with phytic acid for sensitive detection of dopamine

The development of novel nanomaterials for the ultra-sensitive detection of biological species has received great attention. Herein we report the design and synthesis of phytic acid functionalized silica nanoparticles (SiO 2 -PA NPs) and their biomedical sensor application for sensitive detection of dopamine. The SiO 2 -PA NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The biocompatibility between SiO 2 -PA NPs and laccase was also investigated by circular dichroism (CD) spectra. Moreover, the novel laccase biosensor based on SiO 2 -PA NPs for sensitive detection of dopamine (DA) was fabricated, and the electrochemical properties of this laccase biosensor were investigated. The results showed the biosensor had good electrocatalytic activity toward DA with a wide linear range (0.99–103.10   μM) and a low detection limit 0.26   ±   0.003   μM. It can be attributed to the good biocompatibility and nano-effect of SiO 2 -PA NPs. The biosensor was successfully tested for determination of DA in pharmaceutical and rabbit blood serum samples. The development of biomimetic materials science will offer a novel platform for application to substance detection.