title: Direct electrochemistry of heme proteins: effect of electrode surface modification by neutral surfactants.
abstract: Direct electrochemical studies on horse heart myoglobin and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) have been carried out using tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) and surfactant modified glassy carbon working electrodes. These proteins show very slow electron transfer kinetics at metal or untreated electrodes. Moreover, small amounts of surface-active impurity were drastically affects the electrode reaction of these proteins. The results showed that modification of the electrode surface with neutral surfactants significantly improves the electrochemical response of myoglobin as well as of HRP. The electrode response was found to depend on the structure of the surfactants. The amount of surfactant required per unit area of the electrode surface to promote the maximum electron transfer rate constants was found to be constant. This indicated that the surfactant molecules interacted with the electrode surface in a specific manner and anchored the protein molecules to align in the suitable orientation. The hydrophobicity of the surfactants rather than their charge was found to be crucial in promoting the electrode response of these proteins at the glassy carbon electrode.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, India.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chattopadhyay
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazumdar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods; D004566:Electrodes; D006420:Hemeproteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006736:Horses; D007204:Indium; D007700:Kinetics; D008823:Micelles; D009211:Myoglobin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013499:Surface Properties; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D006420:Hemeproteins; D008823:Micelles; D009211:Myoglobin; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D007204:Indium; C047711:indium oxide; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase