Norepinephrine (NE) is an important neurotransmitter in the body, and stress or injury of neurons in the locus ceruleus (LC) results in the change of NE level in the body. In this work, we developed a micro-needle electrode for real-time monitoring of NE release in rat brain LC and investigating the effects of alpha 2-adrenoceptors on norepinephrine release upon LC stimulation by different drugs. The micro-needle electrode was prepared by modified both Au nanotubes (AuNTs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the substrate of the acupuncture needle (AN). Due to excellent electrochemical performance and biocompatibility of the nanostructures, highly sensitive detection of NE was realized. The results had shown that the CNTs/AuNTs/AN micro-needle was capable of real-time monitoring NE in the linear range from 0.75 μM to 25 μM with the limit of detection of 0.26 μM in the cell culture medium. Moreover, the stainless steel acupuncture needle was easy to be inserted into the tissue for in vivo monitoring NE release in rat brain with minimal damage compared to other electrode materials. The results also demonstrated that alpha 2-adrenoceptors regulated the release of NE in the brain's locus ceruleus. This stable and sensitive micro-needle sensor had the potential application in studying neural signal transmission, which could potentially provide important new insights into the deep brain study as well as the mechanism underlying neurological disease of the nervous system.

去甲肾上腺素（NE）是体内重要的神经递质，蓝斑（LC）神经元受到应激或损伤会导致体内NE水平发生变化。在这项工作中，我们开发了一种微针电极，用于实时监测大鼠脑 LC 中的 NE 释放，并研究不同药物对 LC 刺激后 α 2-肾上腺素受体对去甲肾上腺素释放的影响。通过在针灸针（AN）的基底上修饰金纳米管（AuNTs）和碳纳米管（CNTs）制备微针电极。由于纳米结构优异的电化学性能和生物相容性，实现了对NE的高灵敏度检测。结果表明，CNTs/AuNTs/AN 微针能够在线性范围内实时监测 NE。75 μM 至 25 μM，在细胞培养基中检测限为 0.26 μM。此外，与其他电极材料相比，不锈钢针灸针易于插入组织，用于体内监测大鼠脑中的 NE 释放，且损伤最小。结果还表明，α 2-肾上腺素能受体调节大脑蓝斑中 NE 的释放。这种稳定而灵敏的微针传感器在研究神经信号传输方面具有潜在的应用价值，可能为深部大脑研究以及神经系统神经系统疾病的潜在机制提供重要的新见解。与其他电极材料相比，不锈钢针灸针易于插入组织，用于体内监测大鼠脑中的 NE 释放，且损伤最小。结果还表明，α 2-肾上腺素能受体调节大脑蓝斑中 NE 的释放。这种稳定而灵敏的微针传感器在研究神经信号传输方面具有潜在的应用价值，可能为深部大脑研究以及神经系统神经系统疾病的潜在机制提供重要的新见解。与其他电极材料相比，不锈钢针灸针易于插入组织，用于体内监测大鼠脑中的 NE 释放，且损伤最小。结果还表明，α 2-肾上腺素能受体调节大脑蓝斑中 NE 的释放。这种稳定而灵敏的微针传感器在研究神经信号传输方面具有潜在的应用价值，可能为深部大脑研究以及神经系统神经系统疾病的潜在机制提供重要的新见解。