Wightman R Mark
Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Science. 2006 Mar 17;311(5767):1570-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1120027.
Over the past 20 years, the technological impediments to fabricating electrodes of micrometer dimensions have been largely overcome. These small electrodes can be readily applied to probe chemical events at the surface of tissues or individual biological cells; they can even be used to monitor concentration changes within intact animals. These measurements can be made on rapid time scales and with minimal perturbation of the system under study. Several recent applications have provided important insights into chemical processes at cells and in tissues. Examples include molecular flux measurements at the surface of single cells and through skin-which can offer insights into oxidative stress, exocytosis, and drug delivery-and real-time brain neurotransmitter monitoring in living rats, which reveals correlations between behavior and molecular events in the brain. Such findings can promote interdisciplinary collaborations and may lead to a broader understanding of the chemical aspects of biology.
在过去20年里，制造微米尺寸电极的技术障碍已基本被克服。这些小电极可轻松用于探测组织表面或单个生物细胞的化学事件；甚至可用于监测完整动物体内的浓度变化。这些测量能够在快速的时间尺度上进行，且对所研究系统的扰动极小。最近的一些应用为细胞和组织中的化学过程提供了重要见解。例如，单细胞表面及透过皮肤的分子通量测量——这可深入了解氧化应激、胞吐作用和药物递送——以及对活体大鼠大脑神经递质的实时监测，揭示了行为与大脑分子事件之间的关联。此类发现可促进跨学科合作，并可能使人们对生物学的化学层面有更广泛的理解。
