ZnO nanoflowers modified pencil graphite electrode for voltammetric DNA detection and investigation of Gemcitabine–DNA interaction

Abstract

In this study, ZnO nanoflowers (ZnONFs) were synthesized using sonochemical method, which is a simple, environmentally friendly, low-cost and rapid method. ZnONFs was characterized by using FE-SEM, EDS, elemental mapping, FTIR and XRD techniques. Single use pencil graphite electrode (PGE) modified with ZnONFs was characterized using FE-SEM, EDS, elemental mapping, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. This developed electrode was used for the first time for the determination of calf thymus double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and the chemotherapeutic drug Gemcitabine (GEM) using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The detection limits (DLs) of dsDNA and GEM were calculated as 1.91 μg/mL and 2.47 μg/mL, respectively. The interaction of GEM and dsDNA at different times was investigated by measuring the changes in both GEM and guanine oxidation signals by DPV technique. The developed nanoflower-based biosensor responded in as short as 5 min in the DNA-anticancer drug interaction study. The study provides advantages such as low cost, biocompatibility, and easy synthesis of the used nanomaterial synthesis, as well as low detection limit and short interaction time at the sensor stage.