Cost-effective and rapid detection of tetrodotoxin using indium tin oxide electrodes via in vitro electrophysiology and electrochemistry

Pandurangi, N. A. C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4085-7140, Santafe, M. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5462-5108, Tudo, A., Ozsoy, N. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6269-9484, Sureda, F. X. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7968-3929, Dallas, M. L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5190-0522 and Katakis, I. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4259-7098 (2025) Cost-effective and rapid detection of tetrodotoxin using indium tin oxide electrodes via in vitro electrophysiology and electrochemistry. Toxins, 17 (9). 462. ISSN 2072-6651 doi: 10.3390/toxins17090462

Abstract/Summary

The real-time, cost-effective detection of marine toxins like tetrodotoxin (TTX) remains a significant challenge for the scientific community. Traditional methods, including cell-based assays (CBAs), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and automated patch clamp (APC), are time-consuming, requiring expensive lab-based equipment and highly trained personnel. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), lateral flow assays (LFAs), and immunosensors may not be suitable for toxin analogues. Thus, a simplified approach has been developed in this study, which involves the electrophysiological and electrochemical interrogation of N2a cells grown on ITO-coated glass electrodes by measuring extracellular field potentials (EFP) in conjunction with whole-cell patch clamp recordings and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements both before and after incubation with TTX. The ITO substrate proved biocompatible and non-toxic for N2a cells. TTX exposure caused 102% inhibition in EFP values at 300 nM, confirmed by sodium current inhibition of 93% at 300 nM and 22% at 1 nM in patch clamp studies (IC50 = 6.7 nM). EIS measurements indicated concentration-dependent impedance changes in the range of 6–300 nM. This research aims to provide a proof-of-concept for integration of electrophysiological and electrochemical approaches to simplify toxin detection systems.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/124516
Identification Number/DOI	10.3390/toxins17090462
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy > School of Pharmacy > Division of Pharmacology
Publisher	MDPI
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