Hydroxylase-like Biomimetic Nanozyme Synthesized <i>via</i> a Urea-Mediated MOF Pyrolytic Reconstruction Strategy for Non-“<i>o</i>-Phenol hydroxyl”-Dependent Dopamine Electrochemical Sensing

Dopamine (DA), an essential neurotransmitter, is closely associated with various neurological disorders, whose real-time dynamic monitoring is significant for evaluating the physiological activities of neurons. Electrochemical sensing methods are commonly used to determine DA, but they mostly rely on the redox reaction of its <i>o</i>-phenolic hydroxyl group, which makes it difficult to distinguish it from substances with this group. Here, we design a biomimetic nanozyme inspired by the coordination structure of the copper-based active site of dopamine β-hydroxylase, which was successfully synthesized <i>via</i> a urea-mediated MOF pyrolysis reconstruction strategy. Experimental studies and theoretical calculations revealed that the nanozyme with Cu-N₃ coordination could hydroxylate the carbon atom of the DA β-site at a suitable potential and that the active sites of this Cu-N₃ structure have the lowest binding energy for the DA β-site. With this property, the new oxidation peak achieves the specific detection of DA rather than the traditional electrochemical signal of <i>o</i>-phenol hydroxyl redox, which would effectively differentiate it from neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine and epinephrine. The sensor exhibited good monitoring capability in DA concentrations from 0.05 to 16.7 μM, and its limit of detection was 0.03 μM. Finally, the sensor enables the monitoring of DA released from living cells and can be used to quantitatively analyze the effect of polystyrene microplastics on the amount of DA released. The research provides a method for highly specific monitoring of DA and technical support for initial screening for neurocytotoxicity of pollutants.