Integrating an ex-vivo skin biointerface with electrochemical DNA biosensor for direct measurement of the protective effect of UV blocking agents

By Seyedeh Zeinab Mousavisani - Jahan-Bakhsh Raoof - Kwan Yee Cheung - Aura Rocío Hernández Camargo - Tautgirdas Ruzgas - Anthony P.F. Turner - Wing Cheung Mak

Skin cancer is the most frequent kind of cancer in white people in many parts of the world. UV-induced DNA damage and genetic mutation can subsequently lead to skin cancer. Therefore development of new biosensing strategies for detection of UV-induced DNA damage is of great importance. Here we demonstrate a novel combination of an ex-vivo skin biointerface and an electrochemical DNA sensor for the direct detection of UV induced DNA damage and investigation the protective effect of various UV blockers (Zinc-oxide (ZnO), titanium-dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) and sunscreens) against DNA damage. A diazonium modified screen-printed carbon electrode immobilized with a DNA sequence related to the p53 tumour suppressor gene, the most commonly affected gene in human UV-induced skin cancer, was applied as an electrochemical DNA sensor. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was employed for the detection of DNA damage induced by UV-A radiation by following the changes in charge transfer resistance (Rct). The protective effects of UV blockers applied onto a pig skin surface (a suitable model representing human skin) were successfully detected by the DNA sensor. We observed that the naked skin has little UV protection showing an 18.2% decreases in ∆R/R values compared to the control, while applying both NPs and NP-formulated sunscreens could significantly reduce DNA damage, resulting in a decrease in ∆R/R values of 67.1% (ZnO NPs), 77.2% (TiO2 NPs), 77.1% (sunscreen 1) and 92.4% (sunscreen 2), respectively. Moreover, doping moisturising cream with NPs could provide a similar DNA protective effect. This new method is a biologically relevant alternative to animal testing and offers advantages such as fast, easy and inexpensive processing, in addition to its miniaturised dimension, and could be used for a range of applications in other sources of DNA damage and the protective effect of different UV blocking agents and other topical formulations.