Monitoring Nitric Oxide in Trigeminal Neuralgia Rats with a Cerium Single-Atom Nanozyme Electrochemical Biosensor

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) pathogenesis is unclear, with nitric oxide (NO) implicated via vascular dilation causing nerve irritation.
• Current NO detection methods lack sensitivity and real-time capability for biological environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor for real-time NO detection.
• To investigate the role of NO in TN pathogenesis and treatment response.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a NO electrochemical biosensor using cerium single-atom nanozyme (Ce1-CN).
• Characterization of the biosensor's performance (linear range, detection limit).
• In situ attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations to elucidate the sensing mechanism.

Main Results:

• The Ce1-CN biosensor exhibited an ultrawide linear range (1.08 nM–143.9 μM) and ultralow detection limit (0.36 nM).
• Real-time NO evaluation in TN rats demonstrated a correlation between NO concentration and TN onset.
• Carbamazepine treatment reduced nerve NO production and alleviated pain.

Conclusions:

• The developed biosensor enables efficient, real-time NO assessment in biological systems.
• Findings support the involvement of NO in TN pathogenesis.
• The biosensor is a valuable tool for TN research and therapeutic strategy development.