A highly selective and sensitive upconversion nanoprobe for monitoring hydroxyl radicals in living cells and the liver.

Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) would attack living cells and cause a series of oxidative stress related diseases, such as liver damage. Hydroxyl radicals (·OH) are currently known as one of the most toxic and harmful free radicals to organisms. Therefore, studies involving hydroxyl radicals have become important research topics in the fields of biology, biochemistry, and biomedicine. In addition, imaging of analytes using upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) possesses significant advantages over that using general fluorescent dyes or nanoparticles due to its high spatial resolution, reduced photodamage, and deep tissue penetration properties. Herein, we designed a highly selective and sensitive hydroxyl radical nanoprobe based on the luminescence resonance energy transfer between upconversion nanoparticles and methylene blue (MB). The concentration of ·OH could be determined by the fluorescence recovery of the UCNPs due to the oxidative damage of MB. Using this nanoprobe, the ·OH in living cells or in liver tissues could be monitored with high sensitivity and selectivity.

A label-free electrochemical biosensor for ultra-sensitively detecting telomerase activity based on the enhanced catalytic currents of acetaminophen catalyzed by Au nanorods.

An electrochemical biosensor was designed for the determination of telomerase activity using an enzyme-free, PCR-free, and convenient electrochemical strategy. In this work, the electrochemical biosensor was constructed through the functionalization of Au nanorods with a carboxylic group (AuNRs-3) and subsequent immobilization with capture DNA (cDNA) for sensing telomerase activity. Upon telomerase triggered extension, the telomerase activity is related to the amount of the adsorbed electrocatalyst, leading to the different electrochemical signals for readout. Integrating with the efficient electrocatalysis of AuNRs-3-cDNA towards oxidation of acetaminophen, the prepared biosensor exhibits a wide dynamic correlation of telomerase activity from 1 × 102 to 1.04 × 107 HeLa cells mL-1 with a sensitivity of 2.68 HeLa cell mL-1 and the limit of detection was calculated to be 52.81 HeLa cells mL-1 under the optimal experimental conditions. Furthermore, the application of this electrochemical biosensor would provide the great potential for analysis of telomerase activity, revealing a powerful platform for early diagnosis of cancers.