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Este estudo enfocou a mediação por íons metálicos divalentes da solvólise da ligação éster formada entre peptídeos e resinas, método desenvolvido por nós para a preparação de peptídeos C-modificados. Os objetivos foram: i) adaptá-lo para a estratégia Fmoc de síntese, ii) buscar resinas adequadas para tal propósito, iii) verificar qual íon metálico é mais eficiente para mediar tal reação; iv) investigar o possível mecanismo pelo qual os íons metálicos mediam as reações estudadas. Para isso, foram testadas as resinas derivadas do ácido p-hidroximetilbenzóico (HMBA-AM, HMBA-PEGA, HMBA-TG) e do álcool p-benziloxibenzílico (Wang), os mediadores metálicos Ca2+ e Zn2+, condições reacionais determinadas em estudos anteriores do nosso grupo de pesquisa (50% nucleófilo/ DMF) e os solventes nucleófilos metanol, etanol, propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol, butan-1-ol, álcool benzílico, butilamina e hexilamina. O desligamento de aminoácidos e peptídeos esterificados das resinas ocorreu com altos rendimentos (72 - 98%). A resina HMBA-AM e o íon Zn2+ demonstraram ser a combinação mais eficiente. Análises de espectroscopia de infravermelho na presença e ausência do íon metálico indicaram um mecanismo de reação no qual a coordenação do íon Zn2+ com o álcool facilita a formação do íon alcóxido, o qual é um nucleófilo melhor que o álcool e com capacidade de atacar o carbono da carbonila da ligação éster entre o peptídeo e a resina. / The present study was focused on divalent metal ions-mediated solvolysis of the ester linkage formed between peptides and resins, a method developed by us for the preparation of C-modified peptides. The aims were: i) to adapt it for the Fmoc synthesis strategy; ii) to search resins suitable for such purpose; iii) to determine which divalent metal ion is the most efficient reaction mediator; iv) to investigate the mechanism by which the metal ion mediates the solvolysis reactions studied. Therefore, we employed the resins p-hydroxymethylbenzoic acid (HMBA-AM, HMBA-PEGA, HMBA-TG) and p-benzyloxybenzyl (Wang) alcohol, the metal ions Ca2+ and Zn2+, the optimized solvolysis conditions found in our previous studies (50% nucleophile/DMF) and the nucleophilic solvents methanol, ethanol, propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol, butan-1-ol, benzyl alcohol, butylamine and cyclohexylamine. Detachment of esterified amino acids or peptides from resins gave high yields (72-98%). HMBA-AM resin and Zn2+ ion showed to be the most effective combination of resin and metal ion. Infrared spectroscopy analysis of the peptide-resins in absence and presence of such metal ion suggested a mechanism of reaction where the coordination of Zn2+ ion with the alcohol promotes its deprotonation to give the alkoxide ion, which is a better nucleophile and can attack the carbonyl carbon of the ester linkage formed between the amino acid and the resin.

O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi estudar a interferência de íons Cu2+ e Zn2+ na degradação do fenol pela reação de Fenton (Fe2+/Fe3+ + H2O2). Ambos os íons apresentaram efeito catalítico na reação de Fenton, porém atuam em etapas diferentes durante essa reação. Um dos primeiros intermediários da degradação, o catecol, é capaz de reduzir o Fe3+ a Fe2+, que, na presença de H2O2, cria um ciclo redox bastante eficiente. Portanto, este ciclo passa a ser o mecanismo principal da degradação térmica de fenol e seus produtos de oxidação nas etapas iniciais da reação. O íon Zn2+ interfere no tempo de persistência do catecol no meio reacional, provavelmente via estabilização do radical semiquinona correspondente. Um estudo da reação de cupro-Fenton (Cu2+ + H2O2) sugere dois possíveis papéis dos íons cobre: i) A reação de íons Cu1+ com H2O2 pode regenerar Cu2+ via uma reação análoga a de Fenton, formando radicais HO•. Na presença de um excesso de H2O2, o radical HO• pode ser consumido por outra molécula de H2O2 para produzir HOO•- e O2•-, (ii) Na etapa final da reação, quando o ferro(III) da solução é complexado na forma de ferrioxalato, os íons cobre assumem o papel de principal catalisador da degradação. Deste modo, a associação da reação de Fenton com a de cupro-Fenton resulta num aumento da eficiência global de mineralização do fenol / The principal objective of this work was a study of the interference of Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions on the degradation of phenol by the Fenton reaction (Fe2+/Fe3+ + H2O2). Both ions have a catalytic effect on the Fenton reaction, but act in different stages of the reaction. One of the first intermediates formed in the reaction, catechol, can reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+, which, in the presence of H2O2, forms an efficient catalytic redox cycle. Thus, this cycle becomes the principal route of thermal degradation of phenol and its oxidation products in the initial stages of the reaction. The Zn2+ interferes in the persistence time of catechol, probably via complexation with the corresponding semiquinone radical. A study of the cupro-Fenton reaction (Cu2+ + H2O2) suggests two principal modes of action of copper ions: (i) The reaction of Cu+ with H2O2 can regenerate Cu2+ via a reaction analogous to the Fenton reaction, forming the HO• radical. In the presence of excess H2O2, the HO• radical can react with another molecule of H2O2 to produce HOO•- and O2•-. (ii) In the final stages of the reaction, when the iron(III) in the solution is complexed in the form of ferrioxalate, the copper ions assume the role of the main catalyst of the degradation. As a result, the association of the Fenton reaction with the cupro-Fenton reaction leads to an overall improvement of the efficiency of the mineralization of phenol.

O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi estudar a interferência de íons Cu2+ e Zn2+ na degradação do fenol pela reação de Fenton (Fe2+/Fe3+ + H2O2). Ambos os íons apresentaram efeito catalítico na reação de Fenton, porém atuam em etapas diferentes durante essa reação. Um dos primeiros intermediários da degradação, o catecol, é capaz de reduzir o Fe3+ a Fe2+, que, na presença de H2O2, cria um ciclo redox bastante eficiente. Portanto, este ciclo passa a ser o mecanismo principal da degradação térmica de fenol e seus produtos de oxidação nas etapas iniciais da reação. O íon Zn2+ interfere no tempo de persistência do catecol no meio reacional, provavelmente via estabilização do radical semiquinona correspondente. Um estudo da reação de cupro-Fenton (Cu2+ + H2O2) sugere dois possíveis papéis dos íons cobre: i) A reação de íons Cu1+ com H2O2 pode regenerar Cu2+ via uma reação análoga a de Fenton, formando radicais HO•. Na presença de um excesso de H2O2, o radical HO• pode ser consumido por outra molécula de H2O2 para produzir HOO•- e O2•-, (ii) Na etapa final da reação, quando o ferro(III) da solução é complexado na forma de ferrioxalato, os íons cobre assumem o papel de principal catalisador da degradação. Deste modo, a associação da reação de Fenton com a de cupro-Fenton resulta num aumento da eficiência global de mineralização do fenol / The principal objective of this work was a study of the interference of Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions on the degradation of phenol by the Fenton reaction (Fe2+/Fe3+ + H2O2). Both ions have a catalytic effect on the Fenton reaction, but act in different stages of the reaction. One of the first intermediates formed in the reaction, catechol, can reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+, which, in the presence of H2O2, forms an efficient catalytic redox cycle. Thus, this cycle becomes the principal route of thermal degradation of phenol and its oxidation products in the initial stages of the reaction. The Zn2+ interferes in the persistence time of catechol, probably via complexation with the corresponding semiquinone radical. A study of the cupro-Fenton reaction (Cu2+ + H2O2) suggests two principal modes of action of copper ions: (i) The reaction of Cu+ with H2O2 can regenerate Cu2+ via a reaction analogous to the Fenton reaction, forming the HO• radical. In the presence of excess H2O2, the HO• radical can react with another molecule of H2O2 to produce HOO•- and O2•-. (ii) In the final stages of the reaction, when the iron(III) in the solution is complexed in the form of ferrioxalate, the copper ions assume the role of the main catalyst of the degradation. As a result, the association of the Fenton reaction with the cupro-Fenton reaction leads to an overall improvement of the efficiency of the mineralization of phenol.

Este estudo enfocou a mediação por íons metálicos divalentes da solvólise da ligação éster formada entre peptídeos e resinas, método desenvolvido por nós para a preparação de peptídeos C-modificados. Os objetivos foram: i) adaptá-lo para a estratégia Fmoc de síntese, ii) buscar resinas adequadas para tal propósito, iii) verificar qual íon metálico é mais eficiente para mediar tal reação; iv) investigar o possível mecanismo pelo qual os íons metálicos mediam as reações estudadas. Para isso, foram testadas as resinas derivadas do ácido p-hidroximetilbenzóico (HMBA-AM, HMBA-PEGA, HMBA-TG) e do álcool p-benziloxibenzílico (Wang), os mediadores metálicos Ca2+ e Zn2+, condições reacionais determinadas em estudos anteriores do nosso grupo de pesquisa (50% nucleófilo/ DMF) e os solventes nucleófilos metanol, etanol, propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol, butan-1-ol, álcool benzílico, butilamina e hexilamina. O desligamento de aminoácidos e peptídeos esterificados das resinas ocorreu com altos rendimentos (72 - 98%). A resina HMBA-AM e o íon Zn2+ demonstraram ser a combinação mais eficiente. Análises de espectroscopia de infravermelho na presença e ausência do íon metálico indicaram um mecanismo de reação no qual a coordenação do íon Zn2+ com o álcool facilita a formação do íon alcóxido, o qual é um nucleófilo melhor que o álcool e com capacidade de atacar o carbono da carbonila da ligação éster entre o peptídeo e a resina. / The present study was focused on divalent metal ions-mediated solvolysis of the ester linkage formed between peptides and resins, a method developed by us for the preparation of C-modified peptides. The aims were: i) to adapt it for the Fmoc synthesis strategy; ii) to search resins suitable for such purpose; iii) to determine which divalent metal ion is the most efficient reaction mediator; iv) to investigate the mechanism by which the metal ion mediates the solvolysis reactions studied. Therefore, we employed the resins p-hydroxymethylbenzoic acid (HMBA-AM, HMBA-PEGA, HMBA-TG) and p-benzyloxybenzyl (Wang) alcohol, the metal ions Ca2+ and Zn2+, the optimized solvolysis conditions found in our previous studies (50% nucleophile/DMF) and the nucleophilic solvents methanol, ethanol, propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol, butan-1-ol, benzyl alcohol, butylamine and cyclohexylamine. Detachment of esterified amino acids or peptides from resins gave high yields (72-98%). HMBA-AM resin and Zn2+ ion showed to be the most effective combination of resin and metal ion. Infrared spectroscopy analysis of the peptide-resins in absence and presence of such metal ion suggested a mechanism of reaction where the coordination of Zn2+ ion with the alcohol promotes its deprotonation to give the alkoxide ion, which is a better nucleophile and can attack the carbonyl carbon of the ester linkage formed between the amino acid and the resin.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:08:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AdrianaMZR.pdf: 1640551 bytes, checksum: 6e342552b459e9af8b4b603e028a87b3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-01 / The production of water has become one of the most important wastes in the petroleum industry, specifically in the up stream segment. The treatment of this kind of effluents is complex and normally requires high costs. In this context, the electrochemical treatment emerges as an alternative methodology for treating the wastewaters. It employs electrochemical reactions to increase the capability and efficiency of the traditional chemical treatments for associated produced water. The use of electrochemical reactors can be effective with small changes in traditional treatments, generally not representing a significant additional surface area for new equipments (due to the high cost of square meter on offshore platforms) and also it can use almost the same equipments, in continuous or batch flow, without others high costs investments. Electrochemical treatment causes low environmental impact, because the process uses electrons as reagent and generates small amount of wastes. In this work, it was studied two types of electrochemical reactors: eletroflocculation and eletroflotation, with the aim of removing of Cu2+, Zn2+, phenol and BTEX mixture of produced water. In eletroflocculation, an electrical potential was applied to an aqueous solution containing NaCl. For this, it was used iron electrodes, which promote the dissolution of metal ions, generating Fe2+ and gases which, in appropriate pH, promote also clotting-flocculation reactions, removing Cu2+ and Zn2+. In eletroflotation, a carbon steel cathode and a DSA type anode (Ti/TiO2-RuO2-SnO2) were used in a NaCl solution. It was applied an electrical current, producing strong oxidant agents as Cl2 and HOCl, increasing the degradation rate of BTEX and phenol. Under different flow rates, the Zn2+ was removed by electrodeposition or by ZnOH formation, due the increasing of pH during the reaction. To better understand the electrochemical process, a statistical protocol factor (22) with central point was conducted to analyze the sensitivity of operating parameters on removing Zn2+ by eletroflotation, confirming that the current density affected the process negatively and the flow rate positively. For economical viability of these two electrochemical treatments, the energy consumption was calculated, taking in account the kWh given by ANEEL. The treatment cost obtained were quite attractive in comparison with the current treatments used in Rio Grande do Norte state. In addition, it could still be reduced for the case of using other alternative energy source such as solar, wind or gas generated directly from the Petrochemical Plant or offshore platforms / A produ??o de ?gua tem sido a maior corrente de res?duos da ind?stria do petr?leo no segmento de Explora??o e Produ??o E&P. O tratamento deste efluente al?m de ser complexo, requer um alto custo. Neste contexto, surge o tratamento eletroqu?mico como uma metodologia alternativa que empregando rea??es de eletr?lise possibilita aumentar a capacidade e a efici?ncia do tratamento f?sico-qu?mico tradicional da ?gua produzida. A implanta??o de reatores eletroqu?micos pode ser efetivada com pequena modifica??o numa esta??o de tratamento tradicional, sem demandar ?rea significativa (tendo em vista o alto custo do metro quadrado nas plataformas em alto mar), aproveitando os equipamentos existentes, podendo realizar tratamento cont?nuo ou em bateladas, sem a necessidade de investimentos elevados. O tratamento eletrol?tico causa baixo impacto ambiental, pois o processo utiliza el?trons como reagente e gera poucos res?duos. Neste trabalho foram estudados dois tipos de reatores eletroqu?micos: um eletrofloculador e um eletroflotador, tendo como objetivo a remo??o de Cu2+, Zn2+ , fenol e BTEX presentes na ?gua produzida. No eletrofloculador aplicou-se um potencial el?trico a uma solu??o aquosa contendo NaCl, atrav?s de eletrodos de ferro, que promovendo a dissolu??o deste metal com a gera??o de ?ons Fe2+ e gases que em pH apropriado formou rea??es de coagula??o-flocula??o removendo Cu2+ e Zn2+. No eletroflotador utilizou-se c?todo de a?o carbono e ?nodo do tipo DSA de Ti/TiO2-RuO2-SnO2, em solu??o contendo NaCl, que atrav?s de uma corrente el?trica produziu agentes oxidantes fortes como Cl2 e HOCl que ajudaram a degradar o BTEX e fenol em diferentes vaz?es; o Zn2+ foi removido por eletrodeposi??o ou pela forma??o de ZnOH devido ao aumento de pH durante a rea??o. Para compreender o processo eletroqu?mico foi realizado um planejamento fatorial 22 com ponto central para avaliar a sensibilidade dos par?metros operacionais que influenciaram no processo de remo??o de Zn2+ na eletroflota??o, de forma que a densidade de corrente influenciou positivamente e a vaz?o negativamente. Como indicador da viabilidade econ?mica do tratamento eletroqu?mico foram analisados os consumos energ?ticos dos reatores tomando como base o valor kWh cobrado pela ANEEL. Os custos dos tratamentos desta pesquisa foram mais atrativos quando comparados ao utilizado atualmente no Rio Grande do Norte, podendo ser reduzidos caso seja utilizada fontes de energia alternativas, como solar, e?lica ou a g?s gerada no pr?prio P?lo Petroqu?mico ou plataformas

Submitted by Maike Costa (maiksebas@gmail.com) on 2016-05-12T13:11:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivo total.pdf: 5933598 bytes, checksum: f90080e0529915a4c5c37308259bee89 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-12T13:11:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivo total.pdf: 5933598 bytes, checksum: f90080e0529915a4c5c37308259bee89 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / Zinc stannate (Zn2SnO4) and zinc titanate (Zn2TiO4) are inverse spineltype oxides and stand out due to their optical, electrical, magnetic, semiconductor and photocatalytic properties. In this work, the two materials were combined in order to obtain a solid solution, Zn2Sn1-xTixO4 (x= 0; 0.25; 0.50; 0.75; 1.0), using the modified-Pechini method, in order to evaluate the influence of the Sn4+ ions substitution by Ti4+ ones in the spinel lattice for application as catalysts in the photodiscoloration of the golden yellow remazol. Catalysts were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Raman spectroscopy and surface area measurements (BET). XRD results showed that the materials presented a high long range order when heat treated at 700 °C, using zinc acetate and pH = 1. IR and Raman spectra confirmed the presence of the [TiO6] and [SnO6] octahedra and (ZnO4) tetrahedron. The parameters used in the dye discoloration were: catalyst mass and irradiation times. The results showed that a higher irradiation time provided a better efficiency. Zn2SnO4 presented the best result, with 81 % of discoloration after 4 h of irradiation. As tin was replaced by titanium in the spinel structure, the catalyst efficiency decreased, achieving 37 % for the Zn2TiO4. / O estanato (Zn2SnO4) e o titanato de zinco (Zn2TiO4) são óxidos do tipo espinélio inverso, destacam-se devido a suas propriedades óticas, elétricas, magnéticas, semicondutoras e fotocatalíticas. Nesse trabalho, os dois materiais foram combinados com a finalidade de obter uma solução sólida, Zn2Sn1-xTixO4, (x= 0; 0,25; 0,50; 0,75; 1,0), utilizando o método Pechini modificado, de modo a investigar a influência da substituição dos íons Sn4+ por íons Ti4+ na rede do espinélio para aplicação como catalisadores na fotodescoloração do corante amarelo remazol ouro. Os catalisadores foram caracterizados pelas técnicas de difração de raios-X (DRX), espectroscopia na região do infravermelho (IV), espectroscopia na região do ultravioleta visível (UV-Vis), espectroscopia Raman e medida de área superficial por BET. Os resultados de DRX mostraram que os materiais apresentaram alta organização a longo alcance, quando calcinados a 700 °C, utilizando acetato de zinco e pH 1. Os espectros de IV e Raman confirmaram a presença dos octaedros [ZnO6], [TiO6],[SnO6] e tetraedro (ZnO4). Os parâmetros utilizados na descoloração do corante foram: massa fixa de catalisador e tempos de radiação. Os resultados mostraram que um maior tempo de radiação proporcionou maior eficiência. O Zn2SnO4 apresentou o melhor resultado, com descoloração de 81% após 4 h de radiação. À medida que o estanho foi substituído pelo titânio na estrutura do espinélio, a eficiência do catalisador foi decrescendo, chegando a 37% para o Zn2TiO4.

Subsurface microbes are extremophiles adapted to thrive in deep, resource-limited environments, performing crucial roles in a myriad of biogeochemical processes. The extremozymes they produce might play a pivotal role in catalyzing these processes. Identifying and characterizing those enzymes could contribute to the advancements in industrially important biocatalytic reactions. Among various enzymes, sorbitol dehydrogenases are enzymes that catalyze the reversible conversion of sorbitol into fructose in the presence of NAD+. In this study, we focus on the exploration of a sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDHSIUC1) derived from the novel strictly anaerobic, thermophilic, subsurface bacterium, Caldiatribacterium inferamans SIUC1, which is one of the first cultured members from the candidate phylum Atribacteria OP9. As SDHSIUC1 originated from a subsurface microbe, we hypothesized that the enzyme has industrially beneficial characteristics such as higher thermostability and can be used for bioindustry applications such as synthesis of rare sugars and chiral alcohols. We successfully cloned, expressed, and purified the functional SDHSIUC1 enzyme aerobically using E. coli BL21(DE3) and did biochemical assays to characterize its properties. Additionally, in combination with the findings of biochemical characterization, we applied in silico approaches such as molecular modeling and molecular docking to describe the functional mechanism of the enzyme. Initial phylogenetic tree analysis using a pool of 24 amino acid sequences showed that the closest relative for SDHSIUC1 is a Candidatus Caldiatribacterium californiense, which is an uncultured member of the Atribacteria phylum. Size exclusion chromatography and Native-PAGE suggested that SDHSIUC1 is a hexamer with a size of 225 kDa. Kinetic characterization of the SDHSIUC1 showed that the enzyme has a higher affinity for sorbitol and fructose in the presence of NAD+ and NADH, respectively. Furthermore, SDHSIUC1 enzyme is promiscuous as it could utilize other polyols (i.e., glycerol, xylitol, inositol), diols (i.e., butanediol), aldehydes (i.e., glycolaldehyde), and ketoses (i.e., sorbose) in the presence of NAD+/NADH cofactors. We observed a significant increase in enzyme activity in the presence of Zn2+, where other metal ions such as Mn2+ and Mg2+ also resulted in rate improvements. The enzyme is an alkaline dehydrogenase that prefers a higher pH above 8. The effect of temperature on SDHSIUC1 activity showed that it’s a thermophilic enzyme with activity at 85 ℃. The thermal denaturation points of the enzyme at 85 ℃ was increased when the enzyme was preincubated at 85 ℃ in the presence of Zn2+. Notably, the enzyme preincubated 25 min at 85 ℃ in the presence of Zn2+ prefers fructose conversion and ceased the sorbitol conversion. We identified the presence of a structural Zn2+ binding site in SDHSIUC1 in addition to a catalytic Zn2+ binding site. We speculated that the structural Zn2+ involves thermal stability of the enzyme. Hence, we mutated the cysteine with serine of potential structural Zn2+ binding site (Cys96, Cys99, Cys102, and Cys110). Indeed, the Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis revealed the mutated enzyme contains a lower amount of Zn2+ relative to the native enzyme. The data revealed that the mutated enzyme has low melting temperature (78 ℃) relative to the native enzyme (92 ℃), suggesting that structural Zn2+ is key to enhance the thermal stability of the SDHSIUC1. Surprisingly, we observed that the mutant enzyme completely lost its activity. The data suggests the role of structural Zn2+ binding site on both the structural and functional stability of SDHSIUC1. In consistence with the in-vitro data, the preliminary computational modeling data suggest that the losing structural Zn2+ unstable the enzyme and we are conducting in depth in-silico study to unveil the mechanism(s). We envisioned that the mechanisms behind the thermal stability of SDHSIUC1 could be used as basic model to enhance thermostable protein for the industrial application (e.g., design thermostable plastic hydrolyzing enzymes). To further demonstrate the potential applications of the SDHSIUC1, we genome-integrated it into the industrially important microorganism Pseudomonas putida KT2440. The resulting strain exhibited significantly increased growth in the presence of sorbitol compared to the wild-type P. putida KT2440, highlighting the potential of this enzyme for industrial applications such as enabling sorbitol catabolism or establishing xylose reductase pathway in P. putida KT2440 (i.e., leverage xylitol dehydrogenase activity of SDHSIUC1). In summary, this study has uncovered a novel thermostable sorbitol dehydrogenase from a subsurface microbe, which could have potential applications in the bioindustry where thermostable sorbitol dehydrogenases are required for the application in food and beverage industry, pharmaceutical industry, biofuel production etc. as it would be advantageous for the industrial processes.

<p>  </p> <p>Diabetes, a chronic condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, arises when pancreatic β-cells lose capacity to produce a robust, dynamic glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) response. Accurate measurement of β-cell health and function <em>ex vivo</em> is thus fundamental to diabetes research, including studies evaluating disease mechanisms, novel drug candidates, and replacement β-cell populations. However, present-day dynamic GSIS assays typically represent end-point measurements, involve expensive commercial perifusion machines, and require time-consuming enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for insulin detection. Microfluidic devices developed as accessible, low-cost alternatives still rely on secondary ELISAs and suspend islets in liquid medium, limiting their survival <em>in vitro</em>. Here, we present a novel, 3D-printed microphysiological system (MPS) designed to recreate components of <em>in-vivo</em> microenvironments through encapsulation in fibrillar type I collagen and restoration of favorable molecular transport conditions. Following computational-informed design and rapid prototyping, the MPS platform sustained collagen-encapsulated mouse islet viability and cytoarchitecture for 5 days and supported <em>in-situ</em> measurements of dynamic β-cell function. To rapidly detect insulin secretion from β-cells in the MPS, we then developed a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for zinc (Zn2+), co-released with insulin, based on glassy carbon electrodes modified with bismuth and indium and coated with Nafion. Finally, we validated sensor detection of Zn2+ released from glucose-stimulated INS-1 β-cells and primary mouse islets, finding high correlation with insulin as measured by standard ELISA. Together, the 3D MPS and Zn2+ sensor developed in this dissertation represent novel platforms for evaluating β-cell health and function in a low-cost, user-friendly, and physiologically-relevant manner. </p>