Tin Selenide Quantum Dots Electrochemical Biotransducer for the Determination of Indinavir - A Protease Inhibitor Anti-Retroviral Drug

Biocompatibility of tin selenide quantum dots was achieved by the incorporation of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA) as a capping agent, which also improved the stability and the solubility of the material. The UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis of the quantum dots revealed a broad absorption band at ~ 330 nm (with a corresponding band gap, E_g, value of 3.75 eV), which is within the range of values expected for quantum dots materials. The 3-mercaptopropionic acid-capped tin selenide (3-MPA-SnSe) quantum dots were used to develop an electrochemical biosensor for indinavir, which is a protease inhibitor antiretroviral (ARV) drug. The biosensor was prepared by the self-assembly of L-cysteine on a gold electrode that was functionalised with 3-MPA-SnSe quantum dots, followed by cross-linking with cytochrome P450-3A4 (CYP3A4) using 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The electrocatalytic properties of the biosensor included a characteristic cyclic voltammetric reduction peak at-380 mV, which was used to detect the response of the biosensor to indinavir. The sensor performance parameters included a response time and sensitivity values of 11 s and 0.221 μA/nM, respectively. The test concentration range studied (0.014 – 0.066 ng/mL) gave a linear calibration plot for indinavir, and it was lower than the physiological plasma concentration index (i.e. maximum plasma concentrations, C_max,) of indinavir (5 - 15 ng/mL) normally observed 8 h after intake. This indicates that the biosensor can be very useful in the case of ultra-rapid metabolisers where very low C_max values are expected