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Recent strides in nanotechnology have given rise to nanozymes, nanomaterials designed to emulate enzymatic functions. Despite their promise, challenges such as batch-to-batch variability and limited atomic utilization persist. This study introduces Pt(Glu)2, a platinum glutamic acid complex, as a versatile small-molecule peroxidase mimic. Synthesized through a straightforward method, Pt(Glu)2exhibits robust catalytic activity and stability. Steady-state kinetics reveal a lower Km value compared to that of natural enzymes, signifying strong substrate affinity. Pt(Glu)2was explored for controllable chemical modification and integration into cascade reactions with natural enzymes, surpassing other nanomaterials. Its facile synthesis and seamless integration enhance cascade reactions beyond the capabilities of nanozymes. In biosensing applications, Pt(Glu)2enabled simultaneous detection of cholesterol and alkaline phosphatase in human serum with high selectivity and sensitivity. These findings illustrate the potential of small molecule mimetics in catalysis and biosensing, paving the way for their broader applications.

The urgent need for innovative materials that effectively eliminate bacteria while promoting cell growth to accelerate wound healing has led to the exploration of new options, as current antimicrobial nanoparticles often exhibit high cytotoxicity, which hinders wound closure. In this study, a nano-hybrid composite, named gold–silver–carbon quantum dots (AuAg-CDs), was prepared by embedding gold and silver nanoclusters into carbon dots. The AuAg-CDs nano-hybrid composite demonstrates remarkable biocompatibility, displays potent antibacterial activity, and possesses a unique capability to promote cell proliferation. By physically disrupting bacterial membranes and promoting mammalian cell proliferation, this composite emerges as a highly promising material for wound healing applications. The underlying mechanism of the multifunctional AuAg-CDs was investigated through comprehensive analyses encompassing cell morphology, bacterial membrane potential, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in both bacterial and mammalian cells. Additionally, AuAg-CDs were incorporated into alginate to create a hydrogel wound dressing, which underwent evaluation using animal models. The results underscore the remarkable potential of the AuAg-CDs wound dressing in facilitating the proliferation of wound fibroblasts and combating bacterial infections. The significance of designing multifunctional nanomaterials to address the challenges associated with pathogenic bacterial infections and regenerative medicine is highlighted by this study, paving the way for future advancements in these fields.

Herein, we proposed an innovative visual quantitative sensing strategy based on thiol–ene click chemistry and the capillary action principle. A triethoxyvinylsilane (VTEO)- or mercaptopropylsilatrane (MPS)-modified interface was prepared for analyte recognition. Target analyte molecules containing thiol groups or C═C double bonds are coupled to the VTEO- or MPS-modified inner surface of the glass capillary tube via a thiol–ene click reaction, respectively. Then, the molecular recognition events were transformed into the wettability change of the inner wall of the glass capillary. The concentration of the target molecules was quantified by reading the height change of the water column in the capillary tube. As a proof of concept, this strategy was successfully used to build visual quantitative sensors for detecting glutathione and cholesterol. In addition, this strategy showed a good anti-interference ability to complex biological fluids and realized sensitive glutathione (GSH) and cholesterol detection in real human blood samples.

Compared to nanozymes with single enzyme activity, those with multiple enzyme activities possess broader application potential due to their diversified enzymatic functionalities. However, the multienzyme nanozymes currently face challenges of interference among different enzymatic activities during practical applications. In this study, we report the synthesis of a light-responsive YbGd-carbon quantum dots nano-hybrid, termed YbGd-CDs, which exhibits controllable enzyme-mimicking activities. This light-responsive behavior enables selective control of the enzymatic activities. Under visible light irradiation, YbGd-CDs demonstrate robust oxidase-like activity. Conversely, under dark conditions, they primarily exhibit peroxidase-like activity. Leveraging the dual-enzyme-mimicking capabilities of YbGd-CDs, we developed colorimetric assays for sensitive detection of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in both normal and cancer cells as well as d-amino acids in human saliva. This study not only advances the synthesis of carbon-based nanozymes but also highlights their potential in biosensing applications.

A fluorescence-based multisite strand displacement reaction (MSSDR) amplification strategy is developed for the rapid, sensitive, and selective detection the activity of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). Oligo dT primer was used for the TdT extension reaction, then the left oligo dT primers were hybridized to the TdT extension reaction product by end to end tiled style and initiated the MSSDR by Klenow polymerase, subsequently, 3′ terminals of these single-strand DNA produced by MSSDR are folded back to complement themselves with the adjacent sequences, and Klenow polymerase makes it into double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). The final dsDNA products were analyzed via dsDNA specific fluorescent dye. This method enables rapid (less than 100 min) and sensitive (limit of detection, LOD, 1.35 × 10–5U) detection and has been demonstrated to work well using a real biosample. Our design would not only serve as a new prototype for high-throughput automated analysis and clinic diagnostic application but also has promising potential for improving the sensitivity of those TDT related biosensing system.

Plasmon-enhanced light harvesting has been of great interest to enhance the catalytic efficiency of some composites or hybrids. The enhanced peroxidase-like activity of phosphorylated iron(III) porphyrin (TPPFe(III))-based nanocomposite, induced by localized surface plasmon resonance for a colorimetric assay, was developed in this study. Firstly, a phosphate group modification strategy was adopted to synthesize water-soluble iron(III) porphyrin materials. Then, the assynthesized TPPFe(III) was covalently attached to core-shell gold nanorods (GNRs), GNR@Au2S/AuAgS, to form TPPFe(III)-GNR@Au2S/AuAgS nanocomposite, which shows greatly enhanced peroxidase-like activity compared to TPPFe(III). A mechanism for the enhanced peroxidase-like activity of TPPFe(III)-GNR@Au2S/AuAgS was proposed, which results from a synergic effect of hot electrons excited by localized surface plasmon resonance and photogenerated electrons of the TPPFe(III), verified by experiments. Furthermore, a fast colorimetric assay for the detection of H2O2and glucose was established based on the unique property of TPPFe(III)-GNR@Au2S/AuAgS. This colorimetric assay was applied to determine practical human serum samples; satisfactory results demonstrate this method has high accuracy. The present study would not only provide some insights into the mechanism of plasmon-activated enzyme-like reactions, but also offer new strategies for improving the catalytic activity of a mimetic enzyme.

No work studied and compared Fe3O4-functionalized carbon-based nanomaterials. Also, no work investigated their application for detecting bisphenol A (BPA), an important organic chemical raw material, which had been proved to cause malformation, cancers, sexual precocity, and neural and behavioral changes in infants and children. In this work, Fe3O4magnetite nanoparticles were stably anchored on carbon materials to synthesize three types of nanohybrids, i.e.hybrids of graphene oxide with Fe3O4(GO–Fe3O4), carbon nanotubes with Fe3O4(CNTs–Fe3O4), and graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes with Fe3O4(GO–CNTs–Fe3O4). These nanohybrids were characterized using a transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). GO–Fe3O4, CNTs–Fe3O4, and GO–CNTs–Fe3O4were immobilized on the surface of a GCE using electro-poly(glutamic acid). The electrochemical response characteristic of bisphenol A (BPA) on different modified electrodes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. It showed that these three types of nanohybrids greatly enhanced the anodic peak current of BPA. Then, these hybrids were applied to determine BPA by differential pulse voltammetry. Their determination performance was compared with each other. Among them, the GO–CNTs–Fe3O4modified electrode exhibited wider linear ranges of 0.003–0.2 and 0.2–30.0 μmol L−1with a lower estimated detection limit of 1.0 nmol L−1.

In this study, we synthesized novel gold–carbon dots (GCDs) with unique properties by microwave-assisted method. The characterization of high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), XRD, high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscope (HAADF-STEM), and energy dispersive spectrometer demonstrates that GCDs are composed of carbon and Au. Tiny Au clusters are dispersed in a 2 nm-size carbon skeleton, which integrates the properties of typical CDs and gold nanoclusters (AuNCs), displaying fascinating peroxidase-like activity and single excitation/dual emission. Dual emission of the GCDs exhibits different fluorescent response to the target species and enables the GCDs to be exploited for sensing and bioimaging. The highly photostable and biocompatible GCDs were applied to dual fluorescent imaging for breast cancer cells and normal rat osteoblast cells under a single excitation. Moreover, ratiometric fluorescence imaging was used to monitor Fe3+level in normal rat osteoblast cells.

The nanocomposites (Fc–GO) of ferrocene (Fc) hybridized graphene oxide (GO) were prepared by π–π stacking interactions. Fc–GO and Au(iii) are electrochemically co-reduced to obtain Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and Fc hybridized electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (Fc–ERGO) nanocomposites (AuNPs/Fc–ERGO). Scanning electron microscopy reveals that Au particles are about 10 nm and are dispersed uniformly on Fc–ERGO. The electrochemical behavior of AuNPs/Fc–ERGO demonstrates great electrochemical activity and stability. The AuNPs/Fc–ERGO was applied in a highly sensitive immunosensor of the biomarker carbohydrate antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3). This unique immunosensor, with AuNPs/Fc–ERGO as the immobilization platform and signal probe, exhibited significant sensitivity toward CA 15-3. Under optimal conditions, the peak current of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) of the immunosensor decreased with increasing CA 15-3 concentration, showing two linear ranges of 2.0–25.0 U mL−1and 0.05–2.0 U mL−1with a low detection limit of 0.015 U mL−1. The strategy developed for this immunosensor provides a promising approach for clinical research and diagnostic applications.

An innovative biosensing assay was developed for simplified, cost-effective, and sensitive detection. By rapid, direct treatment of target proteins with iron porphyrin (TPPFe) in situ, a carboxyl group of amino acid conjugates with an Fe atom of the TPPFe molecule, forming a stable protein complex. We have shown that this complex not only maintains the integrity and functions of original proteins but also acquires peroxidase activity that can turn TMB to a comparably visible signal like that in ELISA. This study is unique since such conversion is difficult to achieve with standard chemical modification or molecular biology methods. In addition, the proposed immunoassay is superior to traditional ELISA as it eliminates an expensive and complicated cross-linking process of an enzyme-labeled antibody. From a practical point of view, we extended this assay to rapid detection of clinically relevant proteins and glucose in blood samples. The results show that this simple immunoassay provides clinical diagnosis, food safety, and environmental monitoring in an easy-to-implement manner.