Recent Advances of Nanoelectrodes for Single-Cell Electroanalysis: From Extracellular, Intercellular to Intracellular

Detection at single-cell level plays a critical role in revealing cell behavior in different organisms. Nanoelectrodes with high temporal–spatial resolution can precisely and dynamically monitor the physiological and pathological processes of various single cells. The field of using nanoelectrodes in single-cell electroanalysis is blooming in recent years. In this review, we mainly summarize the recent advances of nanoelectrodes for single-cell electroanalysis from extracellular, intercellular to intracellular levels in the past decade. First, we introduce the main types of nanoelectrodes based on their geometry and characteristics for single-cell electroanalysis. Then, the representative works of using nanoelectrodes to investigate cellular signaling biomolecules and to understand various cellular processes from the extracellular, intercellular, and intracellular levels are introduced. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of nanoelectrodes for single-cell electroanalysis are proposed. This review gives a comprehensive summary of nanoelectrodes for single-cell electroanalysis in the prospects of monitoring cell physiological topography, understanding communication mechanism and revealing physiological functions, which can provide new insights into cell-based pharmacological screening and fundamental studies of disease development mechanisms.