Fabrication and characterization of miniaturized amperometric hypoxanthine biosensors are described and demonstrated for monitoring hypoxanthine in myocardial cell culture media. The sensors are based on xanthine oxidase (XO) immobilized on carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFMEs) using a composite film of Nafion and electropolymerized phenol (PPh). Nafion was used for XO immobilization because of its film hydrophobicity, enzyme-favored environment, and electrostatic interaction with XO, which was dispersed in Nafion film by immersing the Nafion-coated CFMEs in XO solution for 5 h. PPh film was formed as an overlay on Nafion and XO-modified CFMEs via electropolymerization. Hypoxanthine was measured with the sensor by the oxidation of enzymatic reaction products, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), and uric acid (UA) at +0.60 V (vs Ag/AgCl). The use of Nafion and PPh as a matrix for XO immobilization yields enhanced specificity, sensitivity, and linearity toward hypoxanthine. A dynamic linear range of 5.0 microM to 1.8 mM was achieved with a calculated detection limit of 1.5 microM (S/N = 3) and a sensitivity of 3.144 nA/mM. In addition, the measurement was virtually interference-free from easily oxidizable species such as UA, ascorbic acid, physiological levels of neurotransmitters, and their principal metabolites. The biosensor was used to monitor hypoxanthine accumulation in myocardial cell culture media, in which the level of extracellular hypoxanthine was found to increase with ischemic tolerance.