Ion-Selective Optodes Measure Extracellular Potassium Flux in Excitable Cells

Optodes have been used for detection of ionic concentrations and fluxes for several years. However, their uses in biomedical applications have not yet been fully explored. This study investigates optodes as a potential sensor platform for monitoring cellular ion flux with attendant implications in the field of drug screening and toxicology. A prototype system was developed to quantitatively measure extracellular potassium flux from a monolayer of cardiomyocytes. Optodes were created and immobilized on a glass coverslip for fluorescent imaging. The system detected potassium (K+) ion flux during the repolarization phase of the cardiac action potential and further detected a decrease in the magnitude of the flux in the presence of a known K+ channel inhibitor by optically monitoring local K+ ion concentrations during field stimulation of the cardiomyocyte monolayer. Optodes were used as a sensor platform for monitoring cellular ion flux with attendant implications in the field of drug screening and toxicology. The optodes were created on the microscale and monitored extracellular potassium flux during cardiomyocyte beating. The presence of the potassium channel blocker Haloperidol was detected by fluorescently monitoring potassium flux.