Novel application of carbon nanotube electrodes for electrochemical detection of amino acids in athlete’s biological samples

Abstract

Understanding different physiological processes and spotting any health problems, especially in athletes, depend on tracking the quantities of amino acids in biological samples. This study looked at the creation of a unique electrochemical sensor for the sensitive and targeted identification of the necessary amino acid methionine in biological materials. Based on a modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface, the sensor incorporated a tungsten disulfide (WS2) and carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposite. The improved electrical conductivity and catalytic activity of this material combination towards methionine oxidation led to its selection. The sensor that was created showed remarkable selectivity for methionine over other amino acids, along with a wide linear range of 5–1475 μM and a low detection limit of 10 nM. A relative standard deviation of 3.62 % was obtained across ten consecutive measurements, confirming the sensor's repeatability. The practical use of the CNTs-WS2/GCE sensor was verified by the detection of MTN in human blood serum, urine, and food samples. The recovery values ranged from 93.00 % to 99.40 %, and the relative standard deviation was less than 4.71 %. Based on these findings, we believe that our new CNTs-WS2/GCE sensor holds great potential for quick and precise methionine identification in biological samples from athletes.

Keywords

• Amino acids
• Biological samples
• Carbon nanotubes
• Methionine detection
• Nanocomposites
• Tungsten disulfide