Revealing the different effects induced by antipsychotic drugs using an electrochemical microsensor to measure exocytosis in living cells

Real-time monitoring of neurotransmitter release in living cells is crucial for understanding neural functions and the efficacy of drug actions. Here, we developed an electrochemical microsensor chip using a multidimensional nanosensitive material (MNG-1) that detects dopamine (DA) with high sensitivity, enabling real-time analysis of exocytosis in living cells. Our sensor-based technique does not require advanced equipment and can detect single exocytotic events using a standard electrochemical workstation and a small Faraday cage, allowing for rapid and statistically significant data collection. We investigated the mechanisms of action of antipsychotic drugs (APs) and found that, in addition to antagonizing DA receptors, APs also influence DA release from living cells. Our experiments demonstrated that haloperidol, sulpiride, and chlorpromazine affect DA secretion from PC12 cells differently, with haloperidol significantly inhibiting secretion. Moreover, increased haloperidol concentration reduced the quantity of DA secreted. This study offers a simple, efficient, and low-cost method for real-time quantitative exocytosis research, with significant potential in neuroscience and drug mechanism research.