Electrochemical and spectrophotometric investigation of DNA interactions with TURKOVAC and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines: Implications for biosensor sensitivity

IF 6.1 2区化学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL

Analytica Chimica Acta Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-10 DOI:10.1016/j.aca.2026.345060

Mehmet Aslan , Abdulkadir Levent

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Abstract

Background

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has led to the rapid development of several vaccines, including TURKOVAC and Pfizer-BioNTech. Understanding their electrochemical behavior and interactions with biological macromolecules is crucial for vaccine safety and efficacy evaluation. In this context, a simple, cost-effective, and sensitive electrochemical bio sensing platform was designed using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) on a disposable pencil graphite electrode. The proposed sensor enables rapid electroanalytical characterization of vaccine formulations and provides a green analytical approach suitable for biological and pharmaceutical investigations.

Results

The disposable pencil graphite electrode demonstrated distinct anodic oxidation peaks at +0.90 V and +0.92 V for TURKOVAC and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, respectively, in Britton–Robinson buffer at pH 4.0. Surface characterization was carried out using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, confirming successful sensor performance and reproducibility. Under optimized experimental conditions, DNA interaction studies were performed by DPV, revealing marked shifts in oxidation signals upon complex formation with both vaccines. Complementary UV–Visible spectrophotometric analyses confirmed these findings, indicating consistent and thermodynamically stable vaccine–DNA binding. The combined results validated the sensor's high sensitivity, reliability, and applicability in real biological samples.

Significance

This study demonstrates the first use of a disposable pencil graphite electrode for simultaneous electrochemical and spectrophotometric investigation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and their DNA interactions. The developed platform offers a green, sustainable, and disposable analytical approach with potential applications in vaccine quality control, biosensor development, and molecular-level understanding of vaccine–biomolecule interactions essential for future vaccine design strategies.

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电化学和分光光度法研究DNA与TURKOVAC和Pfizer-BioNTech疫苗的相互作用：对生物传感器灵敏度的影响

由SARS-CoV-2病毒引起的新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）导致了几种疫苗的快速开发，包括TURKOVAC和Pfizer-BioNTech。了解它们的电化学行为及其与生物大分子的相互作用对疫苗的安全性和有效性评价至关重要。在此背景下，利用差分脉冲伏安法（DPV）在一次性铅笔石墨电极上设计了一个简单、经济、灵敏的电化学生物传感平台。所提出的传感器能够对疫苗配方进行快速电分析表征，并提供适用于生物和制药研究的绿色分析方法。结果一次性铅笔石墨电极在pH为4.0的briton - robinson缓冲液中，TURKOVAC和Pfizer-BioNTech疫苗分别在+0.90 V和+0.92 V处表现出明显的阳极氧化峰。使用循环伏安法、电化学阻抗谱和扫描电镜进行了表面表征，确认了传感器的性能和再现性。在优化的实验条件下，DPV进行了DNA相互作用研究，揭示了氧化信号在与两种疫苗形成复合物时的显著变化。互补紫外可见分光光度分析证实了这些发现，表明疫苗- dna结合一致且热力学稳定。综合结果验证了传感器在真实生物样品中的高灵敏度、可靠性和适用性。本研究首次使用一次性铅笔石墨电极同时电化学和分光光度法研究SARS-CoV-2疫苗及其DNA相互作用。开发的平台提供了一种绿色、可持续和一次性的分析方法，在疫苗质量控制、生物传感器开发和疫苗-生物分子相互作用的分子水平理解方面具有潜在的应用前景，这对未来的疫苗设计策略至关重要。

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来源期刊

Analytica Chimica Acta 化学-分析化学

CiteScore

10.40

自引率

6.50%

发文量

1081

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Analytica Chimica Acta has an open access mirror journal Analytica Chimica Acta: X, sharing the same aims and scope, editorial team, submission system and rigorous peer review. Analytica Chimica Acta provides a forum for the rapid publication of original research, and critical, comprehensive reviews dealing with all aspects of fundamental and applied modern analytical chemistry. The journal welcomes the submission of research papers which report studies concerning the development of new and significant analytical methodologies. In determining the suitability of submitted articles for publication, particular scrutiny will be placed on the degree of novelty and impact of the research and the extent to which it adds to the existing body of knowledge in analytical chemistry.