A highly selective colorimetric sulfide assay based on the inhibition of the peroxidase-like activity of copper nanoclusters

The authors report that sulfide ions are capable of inhibiting the peroxidase-like activity of copper nanoclusters (CuNCs). The catalytic activity of CuNCs toward the oxidation of the chromogenic substrate 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine by H₂O₂ is remarkably decreased in the presence of sulfide. Based on this finding, a colorimetric assay was developed for the rapid determination of sulfide. Best operated at a wavelength of 652 nm, it has a 0.5 μM detection limit. The method is highly selective and has been successfully applied to the quantification of sulfide in environmental water samples.

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Graphical abstract The catalytic activity of CuNCs toward the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine by H₂O₂ is remarkably decreased in the presence of sulfide ions. This finding has been applied to design a method for colorimetric quantification of sulfide ions in environmental samples.

     

A sensitive fluorescent assay for thiamine based on metal-organic frameworks with intrinsic peroxidase-like activity

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with tunable structures and properties have recently been emerged as very interesting functional materials. However, the catalytic properties of MOFs as enzymatic mimics remain to be further investigated. In this work, we for the first time demonstrated the peroxidase-like activity of copper-based MOFs (HKUST-1) by employing thiamine (TH) as a peroxidase substrate. In the presence of H₂O₂, HKUST-1 can catalyze efficiently the conversion of non-fluorescent TH to strong fluorescent thiochrome. The catalytic activity of HKUST-1 is highly dependent on the temperature, pH and H₂O₂ concentrations. As a peroxidase mimic, HKUST-1 not only has the features of low cost, high stability and easy preparation, but also follows Michaelis–Menten behaviors and shows stronger affinity to TH than horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Based on the peroxidase-like activity of HKUST-1, a simple and sensitive fluorescent method for TH detection has been developed. As low as 1 μM TH can be detected with a linear range from 4 to 700 μM. The detection limit for TH is about 50 fold lower than that of HRP-based fluorescent assay. The proposed method was successfully applied to detect TH in tablets and urine samples and showed a satisfactory result. We believed that the present work could improve the understanding of catalytic behaviors of MOFs as enzymatic mimics and find out a wider application in bioanalysis.     

Fluorescence assay of catecholamines based on the inhibition of peroxidase-like activity of magnetite nanoparticles

We report a fluorescence approach for the highly selective and sensitive detection of catecholamines using magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs) in the presence of Amplex UltraRed (AUR) and H₂O₂. Fe₃O₄ NPs catalyze H₂O₂-mediated oxidation of AUR. The resulting product fluoresces (excitation/emission maxima, ca. 568/587 nm) more strongly, relative to AUR. When catecholamines bind to Fe₃O₄, the complexes that are formed induce decreased activity of Fe₃O₄ NPs, mediated through the coordination between Fe³⁺ on the NP surface and the catechol moiety of catecholamines. As a result, Fe₃O₄ NPs-catalyzed H₂O₂-mediated oxidation of AUR is inhibited by catecholamines. The limits of detection for dopamine (DA), l-DOPA, norepinephrine, and epinephrine were 3 nM, 3 nM, 3 nM, and 6 nM, respectively. The Fe₃O₄ NPs-H₂O₂-AUR probe exhibited high selectivity (>1000-fold) toward catecholamines over other tested biomolecules that commonly exist in urine. Four catecholamines had similar sensitivity because the inhibition of the Fe₃O₄ NPs activity relies on the presence of the catechol moiety. This approach also allowed the determination of tyrosinase activity because tyrosinase catalyzes the conversion of l-tyrosine to l-DOPA. We validated the practicality of the use of the Fe₃O₄ NPs-H₂O₂-AUR probe for the determination of the concentrations of DA in urine samples.     

A new colorimetric and fluorescent bifunctional probe for Cu and F ions based on perylene bisimide derivatives

A perylene bisimide derivative (PBI) based colorimetric and fluorescent bifunctional probe PAM-PBI was designed and synthesized. It was highly selective and sensitive for distinguishing both Cu²⁺ and F⁻ from other ions through a conspicuous change of UV–vis and fluorescence spectra. The recognition of Cu²⁺ by PAM-PBI showed an obvious color change from rose red to purple in aqueous solution, while the sensing of F⁻ gave a marked color change from rose red to light green in THF.     

Aptamer based photometric assay for the antibiotic sulfadimethoxine based on the inhibition and reactivation of the peroxidase-like activity of gold nanoparticles

It is known that gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possess peroxidase-like activity. They can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine by H₂O₂ which leads to a color change from red to blue. It is shown here that the peroxidase-like activity of AuNPs can be inhibited by passivating its surface passivation with a ssDNA aptamer against sulfadimethoxine. If, however, the target molecule (sulfadimethoxine) is present, the aptamer is desorbed from the AuNPs surface, and this results in the reactivation of the catalytic property of the AuNPs. The color change of the solution (from purple to blue) is related to the analyte concentration, and this can be judged visually or by UV-visible absorptiometry at 650 nm. The assay, under optimized conditions, has a detection limit of 10 ng·mL^?1 of sulfadimethoxine, and the calibration plot is linear over a rather wide concentration range (0.01–1000 μg·mL^?1). The assay can be performed within <15 min, is sensitive, and therefore is well suited for fast screening in food analysis. Conceivably, it can be extended to many other small analytes for which aptamers are available.

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Graphical abstract Aptamer based photometric assay for sulfadimethoxine(SDM) based on the inhibition and reactivation of the peroxidase-like activity of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was performed with a rather wide linear range (0.01–1000 μg?mL^?1) and low detection limit of 10 ng?mL^?1.

     

Silver nanoparticles-decorated reduced graphene oxide: A novel peroxidase-like activity nanomaterial for development of a colorimetric glucose biosensor

In this study, we present a novel approach to prepare of a colorimetric chemical sensor for H₂O₂ and a glucose biosensor basing on the use of peroxidase-like activity of silver nanoparticles decorated on reduced graphene oxide sheets (AgNPs@rGO) nanocomposite. Herein, AgNPs@rGO nanocomposite was synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal reducing method and its physico-chemical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Obtained evaluation results shown that the synthesized AgNPs/rGO nanocomposite has performed an efficient peroxidase-like activity for the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB_red) by H₂O₂, leading to the oxidized form (TMB_ox) which presents a typical blue color (maximum of absorbance at λ_max = 655 nm). A colorimetric assay for H₂O₂ detection was designed and fabricated with a limit of detection of 20 μM. Moreover, we have used of AgNPs/rGO nanocomposite combining with glucose oxidase (GOx) to develop of a colorimetric glucose biosensor with a low limit of detection of 40 μM and a linear dynamic range from 125 μM to 1 mM. This glucose test was applied to the detection of glucose in human serum samples.     

A non-aggregation colorimetric assay for thrombin based on catalytic properties of silver nanoparticles

In this paper, we developed a simple and rapid colorimetric assay for protein detection based on the reduction of dye molecules catalyzed by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Aptamer-modified magnetic particles and aptamer-functionalized AgNPs were employed as capture and detection probes, respectively. Introduction of thrombin as target protein could form a sandwich-type complex involving catalytically active AgNPs, whose catalytic activity was monitored on the catalytic reduction of rhodamine B (RhB) by sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). The amount of immobilized AgNPs on the complex increased along with the increase of the thrombin concentration, thus the detection of thrombin was achieved via recording the decrease in absorbance corresponding to RhB. This method has adopted several advantages from the key factors involved, i.e., the sandwich binding of affinity aptamers contributed to the increased specificity; magnetic particles could result in rapid capture and separation processes; the conjugation of AgNPs would lead to a clear visual detection. It allows for the detection limit of thrombin down to picomolar level by the naked eye, with remarkable selectivity over other proteins. Moreover, it is possible to apply this method to the other targets with two binding sites as well.     

Smartphone-based colorimetric determination of glucose in food samples based on the intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of nitrogen-doped carbon dots obtained from locusts

In this study, nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) with excellent peroxidase-like activity were prepared using locust powder as the carbon source by a self-exothermic reaction. The obtained N-CDs could catalyze the oxidation of the chromogenic substrate 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H₂O₂ to generate a blue oxidized product (TMB_ox) with a maximum absorption peak at 654 nm. The catalytic reaction conditions were optimized; furthermore, steady-state kinetic analysis indicated that N-CDs exhibited high affinity toward both TMB and H₂O₂, and the Michaelis-Menten constant (k_m) values were 0.115 mM (TMB) and 0.764 mM (H₂O₂). A smartphone-based colorimetric method was developed for quantitative detection. The 1/L values (L stands for lightness in HSL color space) of the TMB_ox solution were recorded via an iPhone application Color Analyzer. Since H₂O₂ is the by-product of glucose (Glu) oxidation in the presence of glucose oxidase (GOx), a simple, sensitive, and selective smartphone-based colorimetric method was developed for the determination of Glu, and the detection limit was 1.09 μM. The smartphone-based method was successfully applied to determine Glu in different food samples with recoveries in the range of 88.5–109.0 %.     

A new fluorescent and colorimetric probe for Cu2+ in live cells

Based on a change in structure between spirocyclic (non-fluorescent) and ring-open (fluorescent) forms of rhodamine-based dyes, a new fluorescent and colorimetric Cu(2+) probe was designed and synthesized. Upon treatment with Cu(2+), the weakly fluorescent probe exhibited a strong fluorescence response with high selectivity. In addition, the turn-on fluorescent probe upon the addition of Cu(2+) was applied in live cell imaging.     

Colorimetric glutathione assay based on the peroxidase-like activity of a nanocomposite consisting of platinum nanoparticles and graphene oxide

Microchimica Acta - This work describes a colorimetric glutathione (GSH) assay that is taking advantage of (a) the peroxidase-like activity of a nanocomposite prepared from platinum nanoparticles...     

A label-free colorimetric platform for DNA via target-catalyzed hairpin assembly and the peroxidase-like catalytic of graphene/Au-NPs hybrids

A target-catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) and graphene/Au-NPs hybrids-based platform has been developed for the determination of DNA. This new sensor not only avoided any labeling but also reduced the background signal. In the absence of target, the assembly of H1 and H2 couldn't be triggered. The catalytic activity of graphene/Au-NPs hybrids was inhibited by adsorption of H1 and H2, leading to the “inactive” hybrids unable to catalyze the oxidation reaction of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). However, with the addition of target DNA, the target-catalyzed hairpin assembly was initiated and produced plenty of H1–H2 duplex, which had a weak binding affinity with the graphene/Au-NPs. Thus, the protected interface of graphene/Au-NPs hybrids became active and catalyzed the oxidation reaction of TMB accompanied with a colorless to-blue color change. This approach exhibited good sensitivity and specificity for target DNA with a detection limit of 5.74 × 10⁻¹¹ M, and realized the assay of target DNA in human serum samples. Besides, this sensor could be further expanded to detect viruses or proteins by adapting the corresponding aptamers, showing great potential in biochemical detections.     

A colorimetric assay for cholesterol based on the encapsulation of multienzyme in leaf-shape crossed ZIF-L

The serum cholesterol level is an important indicator of healthy and there is a great necessity for frequent cholesterol monitoring to some cardiovascular-related diseases, which puts forward higher requirements for point-of-care testing (POCT) of cholesterol. In this work, a cascade catalytic system of cholesterol is developed by encapsulation of cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) and PdCuAu nanoparticles into zeolitic imidazolate framework-L (ChOx/PCA@ZIF-L). Results indicate that ZIF-L carrier can significantly increase the catalytic activity of single or multiple enzymes, due to its high loading capacity and efficient molecular transport. Under the optimal conditions, the absorbance of reaction system performs linear relationships with the concentration of cholesterol in two intervals from 0.0005 mmol/L to 1.0000 mmol/L, with a limit of detection of 0.2176 µmol/L. The proposed colorimetric strategy based on ChOx/PCA@ZIF-L performs a good agreement with the results provided by chemiluminescence method for the serum cholesterol detection. Interestingly, a simple paper-based sensing system is constructed through a pre-reaction-transfer operation, which gets rid of the complex pre-processing requirements of traditional operations on filter paper. The presented strategy allows for the sensitive, convenient, costless assay of serum cholesterol, and paves a new way to design the POCT device for daily monitoring of healthy.     

A colorimetric chemosensor based on new water-soluble PODIPY dye for Hg2+ detection

The phosphorus-containing PODIPY 1 as a chemosensor can detect Hg~(2+) by a color change from pink to violet red without the use of any instrumentation. PODIPY 1 was selective to Hg~(2+)with a remarkable absorption change, and addition of other relevant metal ions caused almost no absorption change. The new PODIPY dye 1 was sensitive to various concentrations of Hg~(2+). The energy gap between the HOMO and LUMO of the metal complex 1–Hg~(2+)is smaller than that of chemosensor 1, which is in good agreement with the red shift in the absorption observed upon treatment of 1 with Hg~(2+). The 1-based test strips were easily fabricated and low-cost, useful in practical and efficient Hg~(2+)test kits.     

基于铜纳米线放大的汞离子高灵敏比色检测法

将滚环扩增技术与铜纳米线相结合进行信号放大,建立高选择性、高灵敏的汞离子比色检测新方法。以链霉亲和素修饰的磁珠为探针捕获和分离基质,将生物素修饰的引物链固定到其表面。汞离子存在时,模板链将通过T-Hg^2+-T作用与引物链结合。加入T4连接酶及DNA聚合酶引发滚环扩增反应形成超长单链DNA。与短单链DNA互补形成的长双链DNA可作为铜纳米线沉积模板,加入盐酸释放出大量铜离子催化底物氧化显色。在0.005~1.0 nmol/L范围,汞离子浓度与吸收信号呈良好线性关系,检出限低至3.7 pmol/L。     

A new ratiometric and colorimetric chemosensor for cyanide anion based on coumarin-hemicyanine hybrid

A hybrid coumarin-hemicyanine dye, Cou-BT, was developed as a new ratiometric and colorimetric sensor for cyanide with a sensing mechanism via nucleophilic addition of cyanide anion to the benzothiolium group. Cou-BT shows high sensitivity and selectivity for cyanide detection over other common anion species in aqueous acetonitrile solution. The calculated pseudo-first-order rate constant for cyanide anion addition was (2.13 ± 0.08) × 10(-2) s(-1) at 298 K, and the detection limit was estimated to be 0.64 μM. The DFT and TDDFT calculation results suggest that the ratiometric and colorimetric sensing behavior of Cou-BT upon its reaction with cyanide was due to the interrupted π-conjugation and blocked ICT progress.     

A new colorimetric reagent for molybdenum

Disodium-1,2-dihydroxybenzene-3,5-disulfonate (“Tiron”) gives a bright yellow color with molybdenum(VI). Under optimum conditions (wavelength 390 mμ and pH 6.6-7.5) the sensitivity of this reaction is about 1 part of molybdenum in 10,000,000 parts of solution, when measurements are made on a Beckman Model DU Spectrophotometer using a 1-cm cell.An extensive study on the use of Tiron for the determination of molybdenum in a variety of materials is under way.     

A novel rhodamine-based turn-on probe for fluorescent detection of Au3+ and colorimetric detection of Cu2+

In this work, we design and synthesize the novel probe RC through introduction the 1-aza-4,13-dithia-15-crown-5 ring into the structure of rhodamine 6G hydrazide, where the N atom of crown ring is responsible for quenching of rhodamine fluorescence. The compound obtained behaves as multifunctional cation sensor providing selective fluorescent response to Au³⁺ and selective colorimetric response to Cu²⁺ ions in aqueous acetonitrile (1/1, v/v) at pH 7.0. The use of 10^?5?M RC solution allowed reliable determination of target cations in the presence of a wide range of environmentally relevant ions with detection limits of 2?×?10^?6?M and 5?×?10^?7?M for gold and copper, respectively.     

基于可视化学传感阵列的农药快速检测新方法

采用可视化阵列传感技术,以卟啉及其衍生物和指示剂作为传感元件,构建了一种对农药敏感的可视化学传感阵列。该传感阵列可以在常温常压下对浓度为0.1 mg/L的12种农药快速识别和分类,反应时间仅为1.5 min。采用聚类分析(HCA)和主成分分析(PCA)等统计学分析方法对检测结果进行分析,不同种类农药样品在聚类分析和主成分分析中均可以被准确归类。     

Direct electrochemical detection of kanamycin based on peroxidase-like activity of gold nanoparticles

An enzyme-free, ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of kanamycin residue was achieved based on mimetic peroxidase activity of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and target-induced replacement of the aptamer. AuNPs which were synthesized using tyrosine as a reducing and capping agent, exhibited mimetic peroxidase activity. In the presence of kanamycin-specific aptamer, however, the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) adsorbed on the surface of AuNPs via the interaction between the bases of ssDNA and AuNPs, and therefore blocked the catalytic site of AuNPs, and inhibited their peroxidase activity. While in the presence of target kanamycin, it bound with the adsorbed aptamer on AuNPs with high affinity, exposed the surface of AuNPs and recovered the peroxidase activity. Then AuNPs catalyzed the reaction between H₂O₂ and reduced thionine to produce oxidized thionine. The latter exhibited a distinct reduction peak on gold electrode in differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and could be utilized to quantify the concentration of kanamycin. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed electrochemical assay showed an extremely high sensitivity towards kanamycin, with a linear relationship between the peak current and the concentration of kanamycin in the range of 0.1–60 nM, and a detection limit of 0.06 nM. Moreover, the established approach was successfully applied in the detection of kanamycin in honey samples. Therefore, the proposed electrochemical assay has great potential in the fields of food quality control and environmental monitoring.