MEASUREMENT OF DOPAMINE IN RAT STRIATUM IN VIVO WITH A BIOMICROELECTRODE MADE FROM MIXED PLANT TISSUE-CARBON PASTE

The mixed plant tissue-carbon paste electrode was prepared and theirelectrochemical characteristics were investigated. The sensitivity and selectivity of thisbioelectrode were found to be good because of the utility in biocatalysis. It may workcontinuously with high stability for 10 h in vivo. The principal advantages of the newbioelectrodes are shorter in response time and longer in stability. These advantages meetthe requirements of in vivo determination. Using these electrodes, the dopamine contentsin rat striatum were measured by anodic stripping voltammetry. The drug-inducedchanges in dopamine levels were monitored. From the results, we can conclude that thebiomicroelectrode is a very economic biosensor for its low cost and easiness to prepareand is a valuable tool for studying dopamine function. It will provide a good method forthe evaluation of drug actions on dopamine neurones.