title: Nitrite biosensing via selective enzymes--a long but promising route.
abstract: The last decades have witnessed a steady increase of the social and political awareness for the need of monitoring and controlling environmental and industrial processes. In the case of nitrite ion, due to its potential toxicity for human health, the European Union has recently implemented a number of rules to restrict its level in drinking waters and food products. Although several analytical protocols have been proposed for nitrite quantification, none of them enable a reliable and quick analysis of complex samples. An alternative approach relies on the construction of biosensing devices using stable enzymes, with both high activity and specificity for nitrite. In this paper we review the current state-of-the-art in the field of electrochemical and optical biosensors using nitrite reducing enzymes as biorecognition elements and discuss the opportunities and challenges in this emerging market.
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE-Departmento de Química, Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia (UNL), 2829-516 Monte Caparica, Portugal. mga@dq.fct.unl.pt
authors.forename: M Gabriela
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: Celia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Jose J G
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Moura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009573:Nitrites / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D009573:Nitrites; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical