Search Results (14)

Nanozymes, exemplified by metal nanoparticles, have shown promise in the fields of biological diagnostics and therapeutics. However, their practical application is often hindered by aggregation or deactivation in complex biological systems. Here, we develop a DNA-engineered nanozyme coating to preserve the peroxidase-like catalytic activity of platinum nanoparticles in complex biological environments. We employed thiol-modified single-stranded DNA to coat the platinum nanoparticles through metal–sulfur interaction. We found that the negatively charged DNA coating prevents the aggregation of platinum nanoparticles in high-salt environments. Moreover, the DNA coating functions as a molecular sieve, inhibiting non-specific protein adsorption while preserving substrate access to the catalytic interface, thus sustaining high peroxidase-like catalytic activity in serum. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate miRNA detection in serum samples with a detection limit of 1 fM. This approach offers a versatile strategy for molecular diagnostics of nanozymes in complex biological environments. Full article

Creatine catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and NADPH oxidase (NOX) are natural enzyme molecules that play a crucial role in regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) in biological systems. They maintain life activities and eliminate pathogens by catalyzing various biochemical reactions. However, natural enzymes have some drawbacks in ROS control; they may lose activity under certain environmental conditions, such as high temperatures, extreme pH values, or the presence of organic solvents, which affects their stability and reliability in different applications. The construction of artificial nanozymes is an emerging technology that could probably solve the problems existing in natural enzymes. This study introduces a type of dendritic platinum–iron oxide (DPIO) nanozyme. The unique dendritic structure of this DPIO nanozyme provides a high surface area-to-volume ratio, and the addition of a platinum layer on the surface offers stability, thereby effectively enhancing the catalytic efficiency of producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). The combination of iron-based Fenton reactions and platinum-based Fenton-like reactions in this DPIO nanozyme drastically improves ROS catalytic efficiency. This artificial nanozyme has a high level of biosafety and displays no cytotoxicity. The development of DPIO nanozymes marks a significant advancement in the technology of artificial nanozymes. Full article

A promising and sought-after class of nanozymes for various applications is Pt-containing nanozymes, primarily Au@Pt, due to their easy preparation and remarkable catalytic properties. This study aimed to explore the freeze–thaw method for functionalizing Pt-containing nanozymes with oligonucleotides featuring a polyadenine anchor. Spherical gold nanoparticles ([Au]NPs) were synthesized and subsequently used as seeds to produce urchin-like Au@Pt nanoparticles ([Au@Pt]NPs) with an average diameter of 29.8 nm. The nanoparticles were conjugated with a series of non-thiolated DNA oligonucleotides, each consisting of three parts: a 5′-polyadenine anchor (A_n, with n = 3, 5, 7, 10; triple-branched A₃, or triple-branched A₅), a random sequence of 23 nucleotides, and a linear polyT block consisting of seven deoxythymine residues. The resulting conjugates were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and emission detection of the fluorescent label at the 3′-end of each oligonucleotide. The stability of the conjugates was found to depend on the type of oligonucleotide, with decreased stability in the row of [Au@Pt]NP conjugates with A₇ > A₅ > 3A₃ > 3A₅ > A₁₀ > A₃ anchors. These [Au@Pt]NP–oligonucleotide conjugates were further evaluated using lateral flow test strips to assess fluorescein-specific binding and peroxidase-like catalytic activity. Conjugates with A₃, A₅, A₇, and 3A₃ anchors showed the highest levels of signals of bound labels on test strips, exceeding conjugates in sensitivity by up to nine times. These findings hold significant potential for broad application in bioanalytical systems. Full article

Bimetallic nanomaterials have generated significant interest across diverse scientific disciplines, due to their unique and tunable properties arising from the synergistic combination of two distinct metallic elements. This study presents a novel approach for synthesizing branched gold–platinum nanoparticles by utilizing poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)-stabilized branched gold nanoparticles, with a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) response of around 1000 nm, as a template for platinum deposition. This approach allows precise control over nanoparticle size, the LSPR band, and the branching degree at an ambient temperature, without the need for high temperatures or organic solvents. The resulting AuPt branched nanoparticles not only demonstrate optical activity but also enhanced catalytic properties. To evaluate their catalytic potential, we compared the enzymatic capabilities of gold and gold–platinum nanoparticles by examining their peroxidase-like activity in the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). Our findings revealed that the incorporation of platinum onto the gold surface substantially enhanced the catalytic efficiency, highlighting the potential of these bimetallic nanoparticles in catalytic applications. Full article

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a refractory chronic inflammatory disease involving the colon and rectum, falling under the category of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in local tissues has been identified as a crucial contributor to the escalation of inflammatory responses. Therefore, eliminating ROS in the inflamed colon is a promising approach to treating UC. Nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-like activities (nanozymes) have shown significant therapeutic potential in UC. In this study, we found that platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) exhibited remarkable superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) cascade catalytic activities, as well as effective hydroxyl radical (•OH) scavenging ability. The in vitro experiments showed that Pt NPs could eliminate excessive ROS to protect cells against oxidative stress. In the colitis model, oral administration of Pt NPs (loaded in chitosan/alginate hydrogel) could significantly alleviate UC, including reducing the colon length, the damaged epithelium, and the infiltration of inflammatory cells. Without appreciable systemic toxicity, Pt NPs represent a novel therapeutic approach to UC and are expected to achieve long-term inflammatory remission. Full article

The development of efficient, reliable, and sensitive dopamine detection methods has attracted much attention. In this paper, vancomycin-stabilized platinum nanoparticles (Van-Pt_n NPs, n = 0.5, 1, 2) were prepared by the biological template method, where n represented the molar ratio of vancomycin to Pt. The results show that Van-Pt₂ NPs had oxidase-like activity and peroxidase-like activity, and the mechanism was due to the generation of reactive oxygen ¹O₂ and OH. Van-Pt₂ NPs exhibited good temperature stability, storage stability, and salt solution stability. Furthermore, Van-Pt₂ NPs had almost no cytotoxicity to A549 cells. More importantly, the colorimetric detection of DA in human serum samples was performed based on the oxidase-like activity of Van-Pt₂ NPs. The linear range of DA detection was 10–700 μM, and the detection limit was 0.854 μM. This study establishes a rapid and reliable method for the detection of dopamine and extends the application of biosynthetic nanoparticles in the field of biosensing. Full article

Many diseases in the human body are related to the level of L-cysteine. Therefore, it is crucial to establish an efficient, simple and sensitive platform for L-cysteine detection. In this work, we synthesized platinum palladium bimetallic nanoparticles (Van-Pt_m/Pd_n NPs) using vancomycin hydrochloride (Van) as a stabilizer, which exhibited high oxidase-like catalytic activity. In addition, the catalytic kinetics of the Van-Pt₁/Pd₁ NPs followed the typical Michaelis–Menten equation, exhibiting a strong affinity for 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine substrates. More importantly, we developed a simple and effective strategy for the sensitive colorimetric detection of L-cysteine using biocompatible Van-Pt₁/Pd₁ NPs. The detection limit was low, at 0.07 μM, which was lower than the values for many previously reported enzyme-like detection systems. The colorimetric method of the L-cysteine assay had good selectivity. The established method for the detection of L-cysteine showed promise for biomedical analysis. Full article

Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) are being intensively explored as efficient nanozymes due to their biocompatibility coupled with excellent catalytic activities, which make them potential candidates as antimicrobial agents. Their antibacterial efficacy and the precise mechanism of action are, however, still unclear. In this framework, we investigated the oxidative stress response of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium cells when exposed to 5 nm citrate coated PtNPs. Notably, by performing a systematic investigation that combines the use of a knock-out mutant strain 12023 HpxF^- with impaired response to ROS (ΔkatE ΔkatG ΔkatN ΔahpCF ΔtsaA) and its respective wild-type strain, growth experiments in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and untargeted metabolomic profiling, we were able to disclose the involved antibacterial mechanisms. Interestingly, PtNPs exerted their biocidal effect mainly through their oxidase-like properties, though with limited antibacterial activity on the wild-type strain at high particle concentrations and significantly stronger action on the mutant strain, especially in aerobic conditions. The untargeted metabolomic analyses of oxidative stress markers revealed that 12023 HpxF^- was not able to cope with PtNPs-based oxidative stress as efficiently as the parental strain. The observed oxidase-induced effects comprise bacterial membrane damage as well as lipid, glutathione and DNA oxidation. On the other hand, in the presence of exogenous bactericidal agents such as hydrogen peroxide, PtNPs display a protective ROS scavenging action, due to their efficient peroxidase mimicking activity. This mechanistic study can contribute to clarifying the mechanisms of PtNPs and their potential applications as antimicrobial agents. Full article

Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) are classical peroxidase-like nanozyme; self-agglomeration of nanoparticles leads to the undesirable reduction in stability and catalytic activity. Herein, a hybrid peroxidase-like nanocatalyst consisting of PtNPs in situ growing on g–C₃N₄ nanosheets with enhanced peroxidase-mimic catalytic activity (PtNP@g–C₃N₄ nanosheets) was prepared for H₂O₂ and oxidase-based colorimetric assay. g–C₃N₄ nanosheets can be used as carriers to solve the problem of poor stability of PtNPs. We observed that the catalytic ability could be maintained for more than 90 days. PtNP@g–C₃N₄ nanosheets could quickly catalyze the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), and the absorbance of blue color oxidized TMB (oxTMB) showed a robust linear relationship with the concentration of H₂O₂ (the detection limit (LOD): 3.33 μM). By utilizing H₂O₂ as a mediator, this strategy can be applied to oxidase-based biomolecules (glucose, organophosphorus, and so on, that generate or consume hydrogen peroxide) sensing. As a proof of concept, a sensitive assay of cholesterol that combined PtNP@g–C₃N₄ nanosheets with cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) cascade catalytic reaction was constructed with an LOD of 9.35 μM in a widespread range from 10 to 800 μM (R² = 0.9981). In addition, we also verified its ability to detect cholesterol in fetal bovine serum. These results showed application prospect of PtNP@g–C₃N₄ nanosheets-based colorimetry in sensing and clinical medical detection. Full article

Due to its unique biological composition, aquatic products, especially fish, are extremely perishable compared to other muscle products. Herein, we proposed an artificial nanozyme-based colorimetric detection of hypoxanthine (Hx), the indicator of fish freshness, in a minute–time scale without the assistance of a natural enzyme (hypoxanthine oxidase). The principle is based on the interaction between Hx and polyvinylpyrrolidone-modified platinum cubic nanomaterials (PVP-PtNC), in which the catalytic active sites of PVP-PtNC’s surface were blocked by Hx. This causes the downregulation of PVP-PtNC’s catalytic ability and weakened its ability to catalyze the oxidization of 3,3′,5,5′-Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H₂O₂. Accordingly, the decrease in the UV–vis absorption and the weakening of the colorimetric reaction color is proportional to the Hx concentration. On this basis, a target-triggered colorimetric method for detecting Hx is developed for fish freshness monitoring with a fast detection speed, low cost, high accuracy, and simplified operation. Experiments reveal that the correlation response of Hx is from 0.5 μM to 10 mM with a limit of detection of 0.16 μM. In particular, the Hx detected from real fish indicates that the method possesses a promising potential for practical application. All of these features are expected to promote the development of online detection tools for food safety monitoring. Full article

Precision analysis of the key biological metabolites such as L-lactate has great practical importance for many technological processes in food technology, including beverage production. Here we describe a new, highly selective, and sensitive biosensor for accurate L-lactate assay based on a combination of peroxidase-mimetic nanozymes with microbial lactate oxidase (LOx) immobilized onto the surface of a graphite-rod electrode (GE). The peroxidase-like nanozymes were synthesized using the debris of carbon microfibers (CFs) functionalized with hemin (H) and modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) or platinum microparticles (PtMPs). The nanozyme formed with PtMPs as well as corresponding bioelectrodes based on it (LOx-CF-H-PtMPs/GE) is characterized by preferable catalytic and operational characteristics, so it was selected for the analysis of L-lactate content in real samples of grape must and red wine. The results of the L-lactate analysis obtained by the developed biosensors are highly correlated with a very selective spectrophotometric approach used as a reference. The developed biosensor, due to its high selectivity and sensitivity, is very prospective not only for the beverage industry and food technology, but also for clinical diagnostics and medicine, as well as in other applications where the accurate analysis of L-lactate is highly important. Full article

Herein, a paper-based electrochemical sensor based on PtNP/COF_TFPB−DHzDS@rGO was developed for the sensitive detection of furazolidone. A cluster-like covalent organic framework (COF_TFPB−DHzDS) was successfully grown on the surface of amino-functional reduced graphene oxide (rGO-NH₂) to avoid serious self-aggregation, which was further loaded with platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) with high catalytic activity as nanozyme to obtain PtNP/COF_TFPB−DHzDS@rGO nanocomposites. The morphology of PtNP/COF_TFPB−DHzDS@rGO nanocomposites was characterized, and the results showed that the smooth rGO surface became extremely rough after the modification of COF_TFPB−DHzDS. Meanwhile, ultra-small PtNPs with sizes of around 1 nm were precisely anchored on COF_TFPB−DHzDS to maintain their excellent catalytic activity. The conventional electrodes were used to detect furazolidone and showed a detection limit as low as 5 nM and a linear range from 15 nM to 110 μM. In contrast, the detection limit for the paper-based electrode was 0.23 μM, and the linear range was 0.69–110 μM. The results showed that the paper-based electrode can be used to detect furazolidone. This sensor is a potential candidate for the detection of furazolidone residue in human serum and fish samples. Full article

Bimetallic nanoparticles are important materials for synthesizing multifunctional nanozymes. A technique for preparing gold-platinum nanoparticles (NPs) on a silica core template (SiO₂@Au@Pt) using seed-mediated growth is reported in this study. The SiO₂@Au@Pt exhibits peroxidase-like nanozyme activity has several advantages over gold assembled silica core templates (SiO₂@Au@Au), such as stability and catalytic performance. The maximum reaction velocity (V_max) and the Michaelis–Menten constants (K_m) were and 2.1 × 10⁻¹⁰ M⁻¹∙s⁻¹ and 417 µM, respectively. Factors affecting the peroxidase activity, including the quantity of NPs, solution pH, reaction time, and concentration of tetramethyl benzidine, are also investigated in this study. The optimization of SiO₂@Au@Pt NPs for H₂O₂ detection obtained in 0.5 mM TMB; using 5 µg SiO₂@Au@Pt, at pH 4.0 for 15 min incubation. H₂O₂ can be detected in the dynamic liner range of 1.0 to 100 mM with the detection limit of 1.0 mM. This study presents a novel method for controlling the properties of bimetallic NPs assembled on a silica template and increases the understanding of the activity and potential applications of highly efficient multifunctional NP-based nanozymes. Full article

Nanozymes, defined as nanomaterials that can mimic the catalytic activity of natural enzymes, have been widely used to develop analytical tools for biosensing. In this regard, the monitoring of glutathione (GSH), a key antioxidant biomolecule intervening in the regulation of the oxidative stress level of cells or related with Parkinson’s or mitochondrial diseases can be of great interest from the biomedical point of view. In this work, we have synthetized a gold-platinum Au@Pt nanoparticle with core-shell configuration exhibiting a remarkable oxidase-like mimicking activity towards the substrates 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and o-phenylenediamine (OPD). The presence of a thiol group (-SH) in the chemical structure of GSH can bind to the Au@Pt nanozyme surface to hamper the activation of O₂ and reducing its oxidase-like activity as a function of the concentration of GSH. Herein, we exploit the loss of activity to develop an analytical methodology able to detect and quantify GSH up to µM levels. The system composed by Au@Pt and TMB demonstrates a good linear range between 0.1–1.0 µM to detect GSH levels with a limit of detection (LoD) of 34 nM. Full article