Associate Professor Xiangqun Zeng publishes in Biosensors and Bioelectronics

Associate Professor and CBR member Xiangqun Zeng, of the Department of Chemistry, directs a research group that focuses on developing biosensors for the rapid detection of biomarkers and pollutants. Some of their recent results were published in the February 2010 issue of Biosensors and Bioelectronics (Potentiometric Biosensor For Studying Hydroquinone Cytotoxicity In Vitro, Volume 25, Pages 1356-1362). The paper begins:

"Human beings are exposed to thousands of naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals over a lifetime. Over 45,000 toxic chemicals were listed by the US National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1980. The traditional tools for in vitro cytotoxicity studies are microscopy (light and electron microscopy) and 96- or 386-well plates using either fluorescent markers or fixation procedures for cell viability […] Potentiometric sensors measure the potential of an electrode at equilibrium (i.e. in the absence of the appreciable currents) by measuring the electrochemical cell potential vs. a reference electrode potential […]. Thus by measuring the electrochemical potential change of the sensor relative to the culture medium with a potentiometric sensor, the cytotoxicity of a chemical compound can be evaluated to support toxicological exposure assessment of a chemical. […] In this report, we intend to extend the methodology to a broad range of compounds, such as hydroquinone ([1,4-dihydroxybenzene, C₆H₄(OH)₂, HQ]), a widely used chemical that exists in cosmetics, medicines, cigarette smoke, the environment, the workplace, and human diet."

The research that led to this publication was supported by Zeng’s grant from the National Institutes of Health.