Electrosynthesized poly(pyrrole)/poly(2-naphthol) bilayer membrane as an effective anti-interference layer for simultaneous determination of acethylcholine and choline by a dual electrode amperometric biosensor

Several neural diseases appear related to the neurotransmitter acethylcholine (ACh) and its metabolite choline (Ch) brain levels so that their simultaneous determination is essential. A cross-talk and interference free dual electrode amperometric biosensor for the simultaneous determination of both analytes has been developed. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline oxidase (ChO) were immobilized by glutaraldehyde co-crosslinking with bovine serum albumin. A very efficient rejection of electroactive interferents has been achieved by a novel electrosynthesized polymeric bilayer membrane composed by overoxidised poly(pyrrole) and poly(2-naphthol) films. Sensitivities towards several electroactive interferents ranged from ca. 0.04% (e.g. ascorbate) to ca. 0.3% (e.g. dopamine) of those relevant to ACh and Ch (11 and 15 μA/μM, respectively). Detection limits (at S/N = 3) in flow injection analysis were ca. 100 nM for both ACh and Ch at the ChO–AChE electrode and ca. 40 nM for Ch at the ChO sensor. Biosensor performances appear more than adequate for brain tissue homogenates and cerebrospinal fluids analysis where average levels in the low micromolar range are typically found.