Study of the interaction of the bioactive compound saponin from Glycyrrhiza glabra with a carbon nanotube matrix

Saponins are bioactive compounds belonging to the secondary metabolism of plants widely used for their beneficial actions to human health. In this work the association of the saponin from Glycyrrhiza glabra with a matrix of multi-walled carbon nanotubes was promoted to obtain a composite material with improved functional characteristics. For this investigation, chemically modified electrodes (CME) based on carbon paste were developed. Firstly, a carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with the addition of saponin (SAP) was developed. For the electrochemical optimization of this system, CPE/SAP, studies were carried out using cyclic voltammetry. The determination of parameters such as formal potential (Eo) and potential separation (Delta E) indicated that the saponin used as a carbon paste modifying agent generated a matrix that favors the transfer of electrons even at low applied potentials. The second step was performed by preparing the modified carbon paste electrode with the carbon nanotube matrix (CPE/CNT). This material, surprisingly, showed a redox pair probably due to the presence of iron atoms from the preparation method, something very beneficial for the purposes of this work. Next the saponin was associated to the carbon nanotube matrix in order to investigate the behavior of the hybrid material formed (CPE/SAP-CNT), which evidenced a significant improvement in the electron transfer process when the saponin interacts with the carbon nanotube matrix, increasing the anodic peak current by more than 3.6 times in relation to the CPE/SAP and 2.1 times when compared to the CPE/CNT. Another important issue concerns the stability of the systems, with the saponin associated with the carbon nanotube matrix presenting significantly improved stability, being able to be used for more than 8 hours or 200 voltammetric cycles with loss of signal of the order of only 2%, while the CPE/SAP showed a 60% loss of signal under the same conditions of use.