Phenylboronic acid and dopamine as probe set for electrochemical detection of saccharides

A novel electrochemical approach for detection of saccharides via indicator displacement assay was presented. In this system, 2-fluorophenylboronic acid and dopamine (DA) were performed as probe set. The electrochemical properties of DA and the binding to 2-fluorophenylboronic acid in phosphate buffer at different pH values were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. After addition of fructose to the solution, a competition for the binding 2-fluorophenylboronic acid occurred that led to the release of the DA. The regenerate oxidation current of DA increased with increasing fructose concentration. Under optimized experimental conditions, the peak current was linearly related to fructose concentration in the range of 0.3–5.0   mmol/L with a detection limit of 0.1   mmol/L. In addition, the interaction between 2-fluorophenylboronic acid and other cis -diol compounds such as glucose, galactose and mannose was investigated.