Estudo para do desenvolvimento de uma biossensor impedimétrico para detecção de veneno de Tityus serrulatus utilizando superfícies de carbono e ouro

Abstract

In 2007, there were, 37368 scorpion accidents in humans. In 2010, the number of accidents rose to 51754 cases, and in 2017 the number of notifications doubled, reaching 123964 people, corresponding to about 70% of all accidents by venomous animals reported in SINAN. Currently, one of the biggest problems encountered when there is a scorpion accident is the care in the health environment and the lack of rapid diagnosis, especially in cases where there is no report of the sting, recorded with higher incidence in children, where we find a higher number of deaths, the confection of a faster and more sensitive method for the diagnosis of accidents by scorpion stings is of great importance to treat the injured person in a specific and safe way. A method that presents itself with potential application and effectiveness is the use of biosensors, devices composed of a receptor system and another transducer, which provide analytical data using a biological recognition component. Furthermore, there is also the possibility of using biopolymers, which are emerging as a new class of materials in bioengineering with a wide variety of applications. There are different sources of obtaining biopolymers, but a species known as a pest and invader in Brazil can become a potential source of chitosan, this species is called Golden Mussel. The abundant availability of mussels enables a vision of reusing parts of the animal, such as the shells, having a direct impact on the destination of the species. The objective is to study materials and methods to develop an impedimetric immunosensor for detection of Tityus serrulatus venom using carbon and gold surfaces. For methodology, the purification of antibodies and the purification of chitin from the shells of the golden mussel were used. Two sensors were used, one carbon-based and one gold-based. The measurements were performed using the Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy technique. Results with promising selectivity and sensitivity were obtained, with a detection limit of 1 ng/mL for both sensors, with initial prototyping using the signal response at only one frequency, thus decreasing time. The study presented here is the beginning for the production of rapid diagnostic methods for scorpion accidents. The sequence of this study aimed at the maturation of the technology with its validation, qualification and more complete market study will directly impact on reducing the number of deaths from scorpion accidents in the country.