Voltammetric behavior of nitroimidazoles at a DNA-biosensor

The newly developed DNA-biosensor is a very promising tool for the investigation and study of the action of drugs specifically designed to interact with DNA. In this work the electrochemical reduction of nitroimidazole drugs was studied in the presence of DNA immobilized onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode. This enabled preconcentration of the drug onto the electrode surface, which was then electrochemically reduced to the corresponding hydroxylamine which followed by reoxidation give the nitroso compound and subsequently an azoxycompound. Moreover, as the target of the nitroimidazole action was the DNA, the damage caused to DNA on the electrode surface by a reduction product of this drug could be detected in situ.