Carbon nanotube enhanced mediator-type biosensor for real-time monitoring of glucose concentrations in fish

We have developed a mediator-type biosensor to rapidly monitor blood glucose concentrations in fish, which are an indicator of stress. Glucose oxidase was used to detect glucose concentrations and ferrocene was used to limit the effect of oxygen. We also improved the sensitivity and durability of the sensor for better performance. Single-walled carbon nanotubes were used to enhance sensor sensitivity. Affixing the carbon nanotubes (30 mg ml(-1)) to the working electrode increased the sensor sensitivity to 61.9 mM nA(-1) mm(-2), twice the value for the sensor without single-walled carbon nanotubes. A fabricated mediator-type biosensor sensor was used to perform real-time in vivo measurements. The sensor was implanted into the interstitial fluid of a fish eyeball, and detection was transmitted to a personal computer by a wireless potentiostat. Continuous measurement of the glucose concentration was possible for 78 hours. Stress was artificially applied to the fish during the measurement, and the change of blood glucose concentrations were observed. Our proposed sensor is applicable for effectively monitoring stress in free-swimming fish.