Fluorescence detection of glutathione reductase activity based on deoxyribonucleic acid-templated silver nanoclusters

Fluorescent silver nanoclusters stabilized by DNA (DNA-AgNCs) exhibit distinct response rates to thiol and disulfide. Glutathione reductase can catalyze the reduction of the oxidized glutathione (GSSG) quickly to reduced glutathione (GSH) in the presence of β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 2′-phosphate reduced tetrasodium salt hydrate (NADPH). Consequently, DNA-AgNCs can serve as a new fluorescent platform for assaying the glutathione reductase (GR) activity. This newly proposed assay has a high sensitivity and a good selectivity toward GR. The GR activity can be detected in the range of 0.2–2.0 mU mL⁻¹ with a minimum detectable concentration of 0.2 mU mL⁻¹. Pepsin, lysozyme, trypsin, avidin, thrombin, myoglobin, and BSA have little effect on the fluorescence intensity of DNA-AgNCs. The GR activity assay is successfully used to monitor the inhibition of GR activity by a typical inhibitor 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea.     

Assistant deoxyribonucleic acid recycling with Zn and molecular beacon for electrochemical detection of deoxyribonucleic acid via target-triggered assembly of mutated DNAzyme

A novel enzyme-free amplification strategy was designed for sensitive electrochemical detection of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) based on Zn²⁺ assistant DNA recycling via target-triggered assembly of mutated DNAzyme. A gold electrode was used to immobilize molecular beacon (MB) as the recognition probe and perform the amplification procedure. In the presence of target DNA, the hairpin probe 1 was opened, and the DNAzyme was liberated from the caged structure. The activated DNAzyme first hybridized and then cleaved the MB in the presence of cofactor Zn²⁺. After cleavage, the MB was cleaved into two pieces and the ferrocene (Fc) labeled piece dissociated from the gold electrode, thus obviously decreasing the Fc signal and forming a free DNAzyme strand. Finally, each target-induced activated DNAzyme underwent many cycles to trigger the cleavage of many MB substrates. Therefore, the peak current of Fc dramatically decreased to approximately zero. The strategy showed a detection limit at 35 fM levels, which was about 2 orders of magnitude lower than that of the conventional hybridization without Zn²⁺-based amplification. The Zn²⁺ assistant DNA recycling offers a versatile platform for DNA detection in a cost-effective manner, and has a promising application in clinical diagnosis.     

毛细管电泳快速分离脱氧核糖核酸的新方法

在非离子表面活性剂胶束和0．075％羟乙基纤维素和一定量的甘露醇体系中，完成了脱氧核糖核酸（DNA）片段的快速分离。研究了DNA片段在不同胶束体系中的分离特点，指出在非离子表面活性剂胶束体系中，DNA片段的分离依据应该是胶束分配理论，而且胶束分子量的大小决定DNA片段的分离选择性。     

Synthesis and investigation on the interaction with calf thymus deoxyribonucleic acid of a novel fluorescent probe 7-oxobenzo[b][1,10]phenanthroline-12(7H)-sulfonic acid

In this paper, the synthetic route of a potential antitumor reagent, benzo[b][1,10] phenanthrolin-7(12H)-one (BPO), was improved. A sulfonic group was introduced to BPO to form a new compound, 7-oxobenzo[b][1,10]phenan-throline-12(7H)-sulfonic acid (OPSA), in order to enhance its water-solubility. The molecular structure of OPSA has been confirmed by IR, UV, MS, ¹H NMR and elements analysis. It was proved in our experiments that DNA could quench the fluorescence of OPSA and the maximum quenched intensity appeared at 408 nm (λ_ex = 284 nm). The quenched fluorescence intensity was proportional to the concentration of DNA. Based on this phenomenon, OPSA had been used as the fluorescent probe for detection of calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) and the corresponding linear response range was from 1.0 to 150.0 μg mL⁻¹ and the limit of detection (LOD) was 3.8 ng mL⁻¹. Its interaction with ct-DNA was investigated by fluorescence, absorption and viscosity measurements. When binding to ct-DNA, OPSA showed obvious fluorescence quenching and the quenched intensity was stable with the presence and absence of NaCl. The absorption spectra of OPSA had no evidence of increasing or decreasing when ct-DNA was added. The viscosity of OPSA and ct-DNA mixture showed no obvious change comparing with the viscosity of ct-DNA along. The results suggested that the interaction between OPSA and ct-DNA was groove binding in nature. Scatchard plots constructed from fluorescence titration data gave a binding constant of 8.9 × 10⁵ L mol⁻¹ and a binding site size of 0.35 base pairs per bound drug molecule.     

Fluorescence quenching method for determination of trace tungsten in environmental samples with dibromohydroxyphenylfluorone

A highly sensitive and selective fluorescence quenching method has been developed for the determination of trace tungsten in environmental samples using dibromohydroxyphenylfluorone (DBHPF) as an emission reagent. In the presence of 0.04?mol/L of sulphuric acid and acetyltrimethylammonium bromide, tungsten(VI) reacts with DBHPF to form a 1?:?3 red complex within 5.0?min. In order for the DBHPF–tungsten(VI) complex to form, the fluorescence intensity of the reagent solution was quenched linearly by adding 0.1 to 1.0?µg of tungsten(VI) in 25?mL of solution. This was measured at 528?nm with excitation at 495?nm. In this work, a standard addition method was investigated and used for sample analysis. The decrease in fluorescence intensity of the reagent solution (ΔF) was linear for 0?～?0.9?µg of tungsten(VI) in 25?mL of solution, and the detection limit (3?s) of the standard addition method was found to be 0.012?ng/mL of tungsten(VI). The effects of various metal and nonmetal ions were studied in detail. The experiments clearly showed that most foreign ions can be tolerated in considerable amounts; in particular, 50-fold Mo(VI), V(V), Zr(VI) and Ti(IV) do not interfere, and the selectivity of the proposed method is better than other previously described methods. Moreover, the method proposed here is very stable and simple, the fluorescence intensity of the solution can remain almost unchanged for 2.0?h at room temperature, and the method has been used successfully to determine tungsten in environmental samples.     

Fluorescence quenching method for the determination of catechol with gold nanoparticles and tyrosinase hybrid system

<正>The determination method of catechol by fluorescence quenching was developed.The assay was based on the combination of the unique property of gold nanoparticles with tyrosinase enzymatic reaction.In the presence of tyrosinase,the fluorescence of gold nanoparticles was quenched by catechol which can be employed to detect catechol.Under the optimal conditions,a linear range 5.0×10~(-7)-1.0×10~(-3) mol L~(-1) and a detection limit 1.0×10~(-7) mol L~(-1) of catechol were obtained.o-Quinone intermediate produced from the enzymatic catalyzed oxidation of catechol was considered to play the main role in the fluorescence quenching.     

亚甲基蓝荧光猝灭法测定抗坏血酸

在稀H2SO4介质中,抗坏血酸与亚甲基蓝发生反应,使其荧光猝灭,建立了荧光光度法测定痕量抗坏血酸的新方法,用正交法确定最佳测定条件。方法的激发波长为660 nm,发射波长为694 nm,在最佳条件下该法测定抗坏血酸的线性范围为0.1~40 mg/L,检出限为0.23 mg/L。方法可用于药品、饮料、果蔬中抗坏血酸的测定。     

CdTe/CdS荧光探针测定痕量铜(Ⅱ)

以巯基乙酸为稳定剂,在水溶液中合成CdTe/CdS量子点,基于量子点与Cu2+混合后发生荧光猝灭作用,建立CdTe/CdS量子点作为荧光探针检测微量铜的新方法。在pH 4.60的HAc-NaAc缓冲溶液中,反应时间为10 min时,Cu2+质量浓度在0.01～1.00μg/mL范围与CdTe/CdS量子点的荧光猝灭程度呈良好的线性关系,相关系数为0.9978,检出限为9.90×10-3μg/mL。方法可以用于雨水、自来水和延河水中Cu2+的分析。     

4-Mercaptophenylboronic acid functionalized graphene oxide composites: Preparation,characterization and selective enrichment of glycopeptides

Selective enrichment and isolation of glycopeptides from complex biological samples was indispensable for mass spectrometry (MS)-based glycoproteomics, however, it remained a great challenge due to the low abundance of glycoproteins and the ion suppression of non-glycopeptides. In this work, 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid functionalized graphene oxide composites were synthesized via loading gold nanoparticles on polyethylenimine modified graphene oxide surface, followed by 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid immobilization by the formation of Au–S bonding (denoted as GO/PEI/Au/4-MPB composites). The composites showed highly specific and efficient capture of glycopeptides due to their excellent hydrophilicity and abundant boronic acid groups. The composites could selectively capture the glycopeptides from the mixture of glycopeptides and nonglycopeptides, even when the amounts of non-glycopeptides were 100 times more than glycopeptides. Compared with commercial meta-amino phenylboronic acid agarose, the composites showed better selectivity when the sample was decreased to 10 ng. These results clearly verified that the GO/PEI/Au/4-MPB composites might be a promising material for glycoproteomics analysis.     

Synergistic effect of UV and l-ascorbic acid on the reduction of graphene oxide: Reduction kinetics and quantum chemical simulations

A photochemical strategy for eco-friendly reduction of graphene oxide (GO) was developed by using l-ascorbic acid (L-AA) as a photosensitive reducing agent. L-AA was excited and oxidized with deprotonation by UV irradiation (254 nm) and the proton coupled electron transfer induces chemical reduction of GO. This photochemical process is quite eco-friendly and scalable, and the reduction kinetics and degree of GO were highly enhanced. To understand the improved reduction power by UV light, the redox properties of L-AA in the ground and excited states were characterized by using quantum chemical simulations. Based on the results, we clearly demonstrated the mechanism how UV irradiation considerably enhances the reducing power of L-AA for the reduction of GO.     

荧光法猝灭测定木槿叶中混合氨基酸的总量

在乙酸-乙酸钠缓冲介质中,氨基酸能猝灭壳聚糖-茚三酮体系荧光,基于此,对木槿叶中混合氨基酸进行测定,并对该方法的测定条件进行了讨论.线性范围为0.5～3.0 mmol/L,检出限为0.1 mmol/L.木槿叶干粉中游离氨基酸的质量分数为10.18%,相对标准偏差为1.3%,回收率为102.5%～94.3%.     

Semiconductor sensor embedded microfluidic chip for protein biomarker detection using a bead-based immunoassay combined with deoxyribonucleic acid strand labeling

Two major issues need to be addressed in applying semiconductor biosensors to detecting proteins in immunoassays. First, the length of the antibody on the sensor surface surpasses the Debye lengths (approximately 1 nm, in normal ionic strength solution), preventing certain specifically bound proteins from being tightly attached to the sensor surface. Therefore, these proteins do not contribute to the sensor’s surface potential change. Second, these proteins carry a small charge and can be easily affected by the pH of the surrounding solution. This study proposes a magnetic bead-based immunoassay using a secondary antibody to label negatively charged DNA fragments for signal amplification. An externally imposed magnetic force attaches the analyte tightly to the sensor surface, thereby effectively solving the problem of the analyte protein’s distance to the sensor surface surpassing the Debye lengths. In addition, a normal ion intensity buffer can be used without dilution for the proposed method. Experiments revealed that the sensitivity can be improved by using a longer DNA fragment for labeling and smaller magnetic beads as solid support for the antibody. By using a 90 base pair DNA label, the signal was 15 times greater than that without labeling. In addition, by using a 120 nm magnetic bead, a minimum detection limit of 12.5 ng mL⁻¹ apolipoprotein A1 can be measured. Furthermore, this study integrates a semiconductor sensor with a microfluidic chip. With the help of microvalves and micromixers in the chip, the length of the mixing step for each immunoassay has been reduced from 1 h to 20 min, and the sample volume has been reduced from 80 μL to 10 μL. In practice, a protein biomarker in a urinary bladder cancer patient’s urine was successfully measured using this technique. This study provides a convenient and effective method to measure protein using a semiconductor sensor.     

Determination of iron(III) with salicylic acid by the fluorescence quenching method

The spectrofluorimetric determination of Fe³⁺ using salicylic acid as an emission reagent has been investigated by measuring the decrease of fluorescence intensity of salicylic acid due to the complexation of Fe³⁺–salicylic acid. An emission peak of salicylic acid, which is decreased linearly by addition of Fe³⁺, occurs at 409 nm in aqueous solution with excitation at 299 nm. The determination of the ferric ion is in the range 1×10⁻⁶–10×10⁻⁶ M Fe³⁺ (0.0558–0.558 μg/ml) and the detection limit is 5×10⁻⁸ M. The quenching effect of Fe³⁺ on the fluorescence intensity of salicylic acid may be considered on the basis of complexation between salicylic acid and Fe³⁺. The effects of foreign ions were investigated.     

Functionalized graphene oxide for the fabrication of paraoxon biosensors

There is an increasing need to develop biosensors for the detection of harmful pesticide residues in food and water. Here, we report on a versatile strategy to synthesize functionalized graphene oxide nanomaterials with abundant affinity groups that can capture histidine (His)-tagged acetylcholinesterase (AChE) for the fabrication of paraoxon biosensors. Initially, exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) was functionalized by a diazonium reaction to introduce abundant carboxyl groups. Then, N_α,N_α-bis(carboxymethyl)-l-lysine hydrate (NTA-NH₂) and Ni²⁺ were anchored onto the GO based materials step by step. AChE was immobilized on the functionalized graphene oxide (FGO) through the specific binding between Ni-NTA and His-tag. A low anodic oxidation potential was observed due to an enhanced electrocatalytic activity and a large surface area brought about by the use of FGO. Furthermore, a sensitivity of 2.23 μA mM⁻¹ to the acetylthiocholine chloride (ATChCl) substrate was found for our composite covered electrodes. The electrodes also showed a wide linear response range from 10 μM to 1 mM (R² = 0.996), with an estimated detection limit of 3 μM based on an S/N = 3. The stable chelation between Ni-NTA and His-tagged AChE endowed our electrodes with great short-term and long-term stability. In addition, a linear correlation was found between paraoxon concentration and the inhibition response of the electrodes to paraoxon, with a detection limit of 6.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ M. This versatile strategy provides a platform to fabricate graphene oxide based nanomaterials for biosensor applications.     

Selective localization of graphene oxide in electrospun polylactic acid/poly(ε-caprolactone) blended nanofibers

Despite their immiscibility, blending polylactic acid (PLA) with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) provides an efficient strategy for obtaining a biopolymer blend with tailored properties due to their complementary physical properties. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was employed as a 2-D nanofiller and nucleating agent to improve the properties of the immiscible PLA/PCL blends at 70/30, 50/50, and 30/70 wt ratios. Nanofibers of PLA/PCL blends and PLA/PCL/GO composites were investigated. It was interesting to find that the GO selectively localized in the minor phase resulting from the phase separation. The selective localization of the GO as the nucleating agent had an influence on the degree of crystallinity and crystalline morphology in the blended composites. This study also demonstrated that the molecular chains in the PLA phase oriented along the fiber axes, while in the PCL phase, the partial crystallites changed their orientation direction to be perpendicular to the fiber axes with the addition of GO.     

Target-mediated consecutive endonuclease reactions for specific and sensitive homogeneous fluorescence assay of O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase

O⁶-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is one of the most important DNA-repair enzymes. Herein, a simple, sensitive and selective homogeneous fluorescence assay strategy is developed for the detection of MGMT on the basis of target-mediated two consecutive endonuclease reactions. The activity assay of MGMT is firstly accomplished using a hairpin-structured DNA substrate to offer a specific recognition site on the substrate DNA for restriction endonuclease PvuII, and thus to initiate the first endonuclease reaction. The product which activates the second endonuclease reaction allows an efficient amplification approach to create an abundance of fluorescence signal reporters. The first endonuclease reaction offers the method high specificity and the second one furnishes the assay improved sensitivity. The results reveal that the MGMT assay strategy shows dynamic responses in the concentration range from 1 to 120 ng mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.5 ng mL⁻¹. By simply altering the alkylated bases, this strategy can also be extended for the detection of other alkyltransferases. Therefore, the developed strategy might provide an intrinsically convenient, sensitive and specific platform for alkyltransferase activate assay and related biochemical studies due to its label-free, homogeneous, and fluorescence-based detection format.     

Fluorescence quenching of para-substitutedstyrenes by tetramethylethylene. Correlationanalysis of the quenching coefficient KSV and thequenching rate constant k_q by the dual-parameter equation with polar and spin-delocalization substituent constants

The fluorescence quenching coefficient (Ksv) and the quenching rate constant kq of ten para-substituted styrenes (1-Ys) have been measured and correlation-analyzed by both the dual-parameter equation (Eq. 1) with (ρxσx+ρ'σ') and the single-parameter equation (Eq. 2) with ρxσx. Ex-cellent results have been obtained for the correlation of KSV against (ρxσmb+ρ'σ'JJ) or (ρxσ+ +ρ'σ'JJ). Our results suggest that, possibly, there might be no need to use excited-state substituent constant for the fluorecence quenching process of excited states of styrenes.     

Flow-injection determination of hydrogen peroxide based on fluorescence quenching of chromotropic acid catalyzed with Fe(II)

Flow-injection analysis system (FIA system), which was based on Fe(II)-catalyzed oxidation of chromotropic acid with hydrogen peroxide, was developed for the determination of hydrogen peroxide. The chromotropic acid has a fluorescence measured at λ_em = 440 nm (emission wavelength) with λ_ex = 235 nm (excitation wavelength), and the fluorescence intensity at λ_em = 440 nm quietly decreased in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and Fe(II), which was caused by Fe(II)-catalyzed oxidation of chromotropic acid with hydrogen peroxide. By measuring the difference of fluorescence intensity, hydrogen peroxide (1.0 × 10⁻⁸-1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹) could be determined by the proposed FIA system, whose analytical throughput was 40 samples h⁻¹. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.03% (n = 10) for 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ hydrogen peroxide. The proposed FIA technique could be applied to the determination of hydrogen peroxide in rain water samples.     

Mechanistic Insights into the Fluorescence Quenching of Rhodamine 6G by Graphene Oxide

The fluorescence quenching of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) by graphene oxide (GO) was interrogated by R6G fluorescence measurements using a set of controlled GO samples with varied C/O ratios as the quencher.The carbonyl groups on the GO nanosheet turned to play a dominant role in quenching the R6G fluorescence.The quenching in the static regime can be described by the "sphere of action" model.The significant absorption of the R6G fluorescence by the ground-state complex formed between R6G and GO was identified to be responsible for the static quenching.This work offers helpful insights into the fluorescence quenching mechanisms in the R6G/GO system.     

Synthesis of the polyethylene glycol solid-solid phase change materials with a functionalized graphene oxide for thermal energy storage

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a phase change material possesses three obstacles, such as leakage, low thermal conductivity and low thermal stability. A novel solid-solid phase change material (PCM) based on functionalized graphene oxide (GO), Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was prepared, and the three obstacles of PEG as a PCM was solved in one and the same material. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman and Transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and thermogravimetric analysis/infrared spectrometry (TG-IR) were used to study the properties of supporting material and composite PCM (CPCM). The results indicated that the PEG was grafted on the surface of the supporting material; Compared with pure PEG, the latent heat of CPCM with 9.6 wt% supporting material decreased only 5.3%, however, the thermal conductivity of CPCM increased 111% and the heat peak release rate of CPCM decreased 33.4%.