Improved electrochemical microsensor for the real-time simultaneous analysis of endogenous nitric oxide and carbon monoxide generation.

An amperometric dual NO/CO microsensor was developed on the basis of a working electrode incorporating dual Pt microdisks (each diameter, 76 μm) and a Ag/AgCl reference electrode covered with a gas permeable membrane. One of the Pt disks was sequentially electrodeposited with Pt and Sn; the other Pt disk was deposited with Pt-Fe(III) oxide nanocomposites. The first showed activity for the oxidation of both NO and CO; the second showed activity only for NO oxidation. In the copresence of NO and CO, the currents measured at each electrode, respectively, represented the concentrations of CO and NO. The sensor showed high stability during the monitoring of organ tissue for at least 2.5 h and high selectivity to NO over CO at the Pt-Fe(III) oxide working electrode. Real-time coupled dynamic changes of NO and CO generated by a living C57 mouse kidney were monitored simultaneously and quantitatively in response to a NO synthase inhibitor (N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester), for the first time. CO was found to increase and NO decreased upon addition of the inhibitor, suggesting a possible reciprocal interaction between these endogenous gases.