Sawhorse Waveform Voltammetry for Selective Detection of Adenosine, ATP, and Hydrogen Peroxide

Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) is an electrochemistry technique which allows subsecond detection of neurotransmitters in vivo. Adenosine detection using FSCV has become increasingly popular but can be difficult because of interfering agents which oxidize at or near the same potential as adenosine. Triangle shaped waveforms are traditionally used for FSCV, but modified waveforms have been introduced to maximize analyte sensitivity and provide stability at high scan rates. Here, a modified sawhorse waveform was used to maximize the time for adenosine oxidation and to manipulate the shapes of cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of analytes which oxidize at the switching potential. The optimized waveform consists of scanning at 400 V/s from -0.4 to 1.35 V and holding briefly for 1.0 ms followed by a ramp back down to -0.4 V. This waveform allows the use of a lower switching potential for adenosine detection. Hydrogen peroxide and ATP also oxidize at the switching potential and can interfere with adenosine measurements in vivo; however, their CVs were altered with the sawhorse waveform and they could be distinguished from adenosine. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine that the sawhorse waveform was better than the triangle waveform at discriminating between adenosine, hydrogen peroxide, and ATP. In slices, mechanically evoked adenosine was identified with PCA and changes in the ratio of ATP to adenosine were observed after manipulation of ATP metabolism by POM-1. The sawhorse waveform is useful for adenosine, hydrogen peroxide, and ATP discrimination and will facilitate more confident measurements of these analytes in vivo.