Application for multiwall carbon nanotubes modified electrode to liquid chromatography for determination of the thiols in human whole blood

A new chemically modified electrode(CME) was fabricated based on the immobilization of multi-wall carbon nanotubes fuctionalized with carboxylic group. The results indicated that the CME exhibited efficiently electrocatalytic oxidation for L-cysteine and glutathione with relatively high sensitivity, stability and long-life. Coupled with high performance liquid chromatography, the CME is utilized for electrochemical detection of thiols. The peak currents of L-cysteine and glutathione were linear to their concentrations ranged from 3.0 × 10^-7 mol/L to 1.0 × 10^-3 mol/L with the calculated detection limits of 1.2 × 10^-7 mol/L, 2.2 × 10^-7 mol/L, respectively. The method had been successfully applied to assess the contents of L-cysteine and glutathione in human whole blood.