Ascorbic Acid and Nitrite Influx Detection using Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes
Department
Biological Sciences
Major
Biological Sciences and Biochemistry
Research Advisor
Porterfield, D. M.
Feelisch, Martin
Advisor's Department
Biological Sciences
Funding Source
UMR Biological Sciences and B.U. Cardiovascular Institute
Abstract
A better understanding of the fates of compounds of interest in the cardiovascular system is necessary for effective study of cardiovascular processes and diseases. Well- established methods such as organ bath experiments, HPLC, various assays, and microelectrodes are routinely used to measure the respective concentrations of two such compounds, ascorbic acid and nitrite, in biological tissues such as the aorta. For this study, self-referencing carbon fiber electrodes were fabricated and utilized to selectively detect ascorbic acid and nitrite concentrations and flux at the surface of Wistar rat aortic tissue. The electrochemical microelectrode technique utilized in this project confers several advantages over other methods, such as increased sensitivity, decreased signal-to-noise ratios, real-time measurement capability, and micro-scale electrode dimensions.
Past studies have proposed that ascorbic acid and nitrite are actively transported into the aorta via several different transporter mechanisms. However, the findings of this study suggest that influx of these compounds is dominated by passive diffusion, as demonstrated by a linear correlation between concentration and degree of influx.
Biography
Libby Cooley is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Missouri--Rolla, majoring in biological sciences and biochemistry, with a minor in psychology.
Research Category
Natural Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Presentation Date
12 Apr 2006, 1:00 pm
Ascorbic Acid and Nitrite Influx Detection using Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes
A better understanding of the fates of compounds of interest in the cardiovascular system is necessary for effective study of cardiovascular processes and diseases. Well- established methods such as organ bath experiments, HPLC, various assays, and microelectrodes are routinely used to measure the respective concentrations of two such compounds, ascorbic acid and nitrite, in biological tissues such as the aorta. For this study, self-referencing carbon fiber electrodes were fabricated and utilized to selectively detect ascorbic acid and nitrite concentrations and flux at the surface of Wistar rat aortic tissue. The electrochemical microelectrode technique utilized in this project confers several advantages over other methods, such as increased sensitivity, decreased signal-to-noise ratios, real-time measurement capability, and micro-scale electrode dimensions.
Past studies have proposed that ascorbic acid and nitrite are actively transported into the aorta via several different transporter mechanisms. However, the findings of this study suggest that influx of these compounds is dominated by passive diffusion, as demonstrated by a linear correlation between concentration and degree of influx.
