Simultaneous voltammetric determination of 7-methyl-guanine and 5-methyl-cytosine using a cathodically pre-treated boron-doped diamond electrode

Given the importance of identifying the presence of biomarkers of human diseases in DNA samples, the main objective of this work was to investigate, for the first time, the electro-catalytic oxidation of 7-methyl-guanine (7-mGua) and 5-methyl-cytosine (5-mCyt) on a boron doped diamond electrode pre-treated cathodically (red-BDDE), using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The anodic peak potentials of 7-mGua and 5-mCyt by DPV were at E = 1.04 V and E = 1.37 V at pH = 4.5, indicating excellent peak separation of approximately 330 mV between species. Using DPV, experimental conditions such as supporting electrolyte, pH and influence of interferents were also investigated to develop a sensitive and selective method for individual and simultaneous quantification of these biomarkers. The analytical curves for the simultaneous quantification of 7-mGua and 5-mCyt in the acid medium (pH = 4.5) were: concentration range of 0.50–5.00 μmol L−1 (r = 0.999), detection limit of 0.27 μmol L−1 for 7-mGua; from 3.00 to 25.00 μmol L−1 (r = 0.998), with a detection limit of 1.69 μmol L−1 for 5-mCyt. A new DP voltammetric method for the simultaneous detection and quantification of biomarkers 7-mGua and 5-mCyt using a red-BDDE is proposed. [Display omitted] •Proposal for electro-oxidation of 7-methyl-guanine and 5-methyl-cytosine.•Use of pre-treated cathodically boron doped diamond electrode (red-BDDE).•Simultaneous quantification of biomarkers 7-methyl-guanine and 5-methyl-cytosine.•Represents a new voltammetric method for quantification of DNA methylation.