Highly sensitive detection of l-glutamate by on-line amperometric micro-flow analysis based on enzymatic substrate...

A highly selective and sensitive on-line monitoring system is proposed for amperometric assay of trace amounts of l-glutamate. The system includes a microdialysis probe, immobilized enzyme reactor, and poly(1,2-diaminobenzene)-coated platinum electrode. The enzyme reactor prepared by the co-immobilization of l-glutamate oxidase and glutamate dehydrogenase are here employed to enhance the sensitivity of l-glutamate as an on-line amplifier based on the substrate recycling. The l-glutamate in the dialysate from the probe are recycled enzymatically during passage through the reactor in the presence of sufficient amounts of NADH and oxygen to produce a large amount of hydrogen peroxide, which is detected if selectively at a downstream poly(1,2-diaminobenzene)-coated platinum electrode without interference from oxidizable species such as l-ascorbate in the sample and NADH added to the carrier buffer. The cycle is also initiated with 2-oxoglutarate, and so saccharopine dehydrogenase reactor is positioned in series before the amplifier reactor to remove 2-oxoglutarate in the dialysate. By the present method, l-glutamate is selectively assayed with a 160-fold increase in sensitivity compared with the unamplified responses. The detection limit is 0.5x10(-7) M of l-glutamate.