Nanostructural point-contact sensors for diagnostics of carcinogenic strains of Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

Background: The problem of detecting the different strains of H. pylori has gained great importance today due to the worldwide prevalence of this bacterium and its role in the pathogenesis of a number of serious gastric and extragastric diseases. However, not all H. pylori strains are aggressive and require antibiotic treatment. Thus, the question arises about the necessity of differentiating these bacterium strains with respect to their virulence factors. In accordance with the IV Maastricht Consensus Report, among the variety of ways to diagnose H. pylori infection, non-invasive methods should be given preference. Most of them are based on the analysis of gas which is exhaled by a human. Mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, and IR spectroscopy are currently the mostly used ones. However, despite the obvious advantages, these techniques have a number of disadvantages that make them difficult to use in everyday medical practice. Modern sensor devices can become an inexpensive and easy to access alternative to these technologies. Objectives: The aim of the work is to develop a new type of sensor device for selective recognition of H. pylori strains which is based on analysis of a mixture of gases exhaled by human. Such a kind of device can be designed on the basis of a point-contact gas sensor. Materials and methods: Anion-radical salts of the organic conductor TCNQ were chosen as the sensitive material for point-contact sensors. The fundamental properties of point contacts which are used in the Yanson point-contact spectroscopy make it possible to create a point-contact mesoscopic matrix on the basis of this material, which is sensitive to small concentrations of components in complex gas media. The sensors were obtained by electrochemical deposition of salts from a solvent characterized by a high vapor pressure on a textolite substrate. Gas exhaled by a human served as the substance to be analyzed. The measurements were carried out following a specially developed technique. The sensor response curves were recorded by a measuring complex and original software designed by the authors. Results: A set of 350 active-type TCNQ-based sensors was studied under the influence of a mixture of breath gases. Gas-sensitive sensors based on TCNQ compounds are characterized by a complex response curve with two extrema. Since the temporal variation in electrical conductivity of the sensor correlates well with the dependence of its resistance on the energy of the adsorbed components of the gas mixture, the resulting response curves of point-contact sensors can be called spectral profiles of a complex gas mixture. It is possible to differentiate among the various states of human body caused by the H. pylori bacterium by using spectral profiles of the gas exhaled by different patients. As a result, the developed sensors were shown to be an effective tool for analyzing breath gas exhaled in real time mode. They demonstrated a high sensitivity and selectivity to the products of activity of different H. pylori strains. Conclusions: It was shown that the products of metabolism of carcinogenic H. pylori strains had a dominant influence on electrical conductivity of the sensor and thus shaped the behavior of the features on sensor response curves. As a result, it is possible to differentiate H. pylori strains with respect to their carcinogenic potential using point-contact sensors based on TCNQ compounds. Thus, an effective portable tool was created in this work for the first time to develop innovative screening technologies for non-invasive diagnosis of human body conditions characterized by gastroduodenal pathology and to distinguish carcinogenic strains of H. pylori from tolerant ones.