title: Nanoelectrochemistry of mammalian cells.
abstract: There is a significant current interest in development of new techniques for direct characterization of the intracellular redox state and high-resolution imaging of living cells. We used nanometer-sized amperometric probes in combination with the scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) to carry out spatially resolved electrochemical experiments in cultured human breast cells. With the tip radius approximately 1,000 times smaller than that of a cell, an electrochemical probe can penetrate a cell and travel inside it without apparent damage to the membrane. The data demonstrate the possibility of measuring the rate of transmembrane charge transport and membrane potential and probing redox properties at the subcellular level. The same experimental setup was used for nanoscale electrochemical imaging of the cell surface.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Queens College-City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, USA.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: François O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Laforge
authors.forename: Thushara P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Abeyweera
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rotenberg
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carpino
authors.forename: Michael V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Mirkin
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D004566:Electrodes; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress
chemical_list: D006046:Gold