Abstract
A H2O2-free colorimetric protocol based on urchin-like Au@Pt nanoparticles (Au@Pt NPs) has been developed for the sensitive and selective determination of cysteine (Cys). We verified the intrinsic oxidase-like activity of the Au@Pt NPs. They can act as artificial mimic oxidases to catalyse the oxidization of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with the assistance of dissolved oxygen, avoiding the use of H2O2 in the colorimetric determination of Cys. In addition, the discrimination of Cys from the other two biothiol analogues, homocysteine and glutathione, can be easily realized through a simple ageing process. HNO3 is added to this colorimetric system to terminate the reaction by oxidizing ox-TMB (oxidized form of TMB) to diphenoquinone (DPQ), thus generating a characteristic absorption peak of DPQ at 450 nm. By recording the absorbance at 450 nm, interference from the aggregated Au@Pt NPs (absorption peak at 670 nm) when 650 nm (the characteristic absorption peak of ox-TMB) is used as the absorption wavelength can be eliminated. We investigated this H2O2-free colorimetric protocol and obtained high sensitivity, with a detection limit of 1.5 nM and relatively high selectivity. The analytical performance for real samples was further explored. The Au@Pt NP–based H2O2-free colorimetric protocol is of great significance for the sensitive and selective determination of Cys in practical samples in different scenarios.
Graphical abstract
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Jung HS, Chen X, Kim JS, Yoon J (2013) Recent progress in luminescent and colorimetric chemosensors for detection of thiols. Chem Soc Rev 42(14):6019–6031. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3CS60024F
Xue S, Ding S, Zhai Q, Zhang H, Feng G (2015) A readily available colorimetric and near-infrared fluorescent turn-on probe for rapid and selective detection of cysteine in living cells. Biosens Bioelectron 68:316–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2015.01.019
Chen Y, Chen T, Wu X, Yang G (2019) CuMnO2 nanoflakes as pH-switchable catalysts with multiple enzyme-like activities for cysteine detection. Sens Actuators, B Chem 279:374–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2018.09.120
Liu C, Miao Y, Zhang X, Zhang S, Zhao X (2020) Colorimetric determination of cysteine by a paper-based assay system using aspartic acid modified gold nanoparticles. Microchim Acta 187(6):362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-020-04333-4
Afsharipour R, Dadfarnia S, Haji Shabani AM, Kazemi E, Pedrini A, Verucchi R (2021) Fabrication of a sensitive colorimetric nanosensor for determination of cysteine in human serum and urine samples based on magnetic-sulfur, nitrogen graphene quantum dots as a selective platform and Au nanoparticles. Talanta 226:122055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2020.122055
Liu K, Gu H, Sun Y, Xu C, Yang S, Zhu B (2021) A novel rosamine-based fluorescent probe for the rapid and selective detection of cysteine in BSA, water, milk, cabbage, radish, apple, and pear. Food Chem 356:129658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129658
Wang C, Lan Y, Yuan F, Fereja TH, Lou B, Han S, Li J, Xu G (2019) Chemiluminescent determination of L-cysteine with the lucigenin-carbon dot system. Microchim Acta 187(1):50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3965-9
Li J, Zhang L (2019) 3D pothole-rich hierarchical carbon framework-encapsulated Ni nanoparticles for highly selective nonenzymatic cysteine detection. Electrochim Acta 328:135126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2019.135126
Yang CP, Wu Q, Jiang ZW, Wang X, Huang CZ, Li YF (2021) Cu vacancies enhanced photoelectrochemical activity of metal-organic gel-derived CuO for the detection of l-cysteine. Talanta 228:122261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122261
Karimi A, Husain SW, Hosseini M, Azar PA, Ganjali MR (2020) A sensitive signal-on electrochemiluminescence sensor based on a nanocomposite of polypyrrole-Gd2O3 for the determination of L-cysteine in biological fluids. Microchim Acta 187(7):398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-020-04372-x
Sun S, Li L, Wu X, Tang R, Lei C, Wang H-H, Huang Y, Nie Z, Yao S (2020) Dual-Product Synergistically Enhanced Colorimetric Assay for Sensitive Detection of Lipid Transferase Activity. Anal Chem 92(22):15236–15243. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.0c03973
Celik C, Can Sezgin G, Kocabas UG, Gursoy S, Ildiz N, Tan W, Ocsoy I (2021) Novel anthocyanin-based colorimetric assay for the rapid, sensitive, and quantitative detection of helicobacter pylori. Anal Chem 93(15):6246–6253. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.1c00663
Lin Y, Sun J, Tang M, Zhang G, Yu L, Zhao X, Ai R, Yu H, Shao B, He Y (2021) Synergistic recognition-triggered charge transfer enables rapid visual colorimetric detection of fentanyl. Anal Chem 93(16):6544–6550. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.1c00723
Li RS, Zhang HZ, Ling J, Huang CZ, Wang J (2016) Plasmonic platforms for colorimetric sensing of cysteine. Appl Spectrosc Rev 51(2):129–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/05704928.2015.1092155
Wu J, Wang X, Wang Q, Lou Z, Li S, Zhu Y, Qin L, Wei H (2019) Nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics (nanozymes): next-generation artificial enzymes (II). Chem Soc Rev 48(4):1004–1076. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8CS00457A
Huang Y, Ren J, Qu X (2019) Nanozymes: classification, catalytic mechanisms, activity regulation, and applications. Chem Rev 119(6):4357–4412. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00672
Li X, Yang X-Y, Sha J-Q, Han T, Du C-J, Sun Y-J, Lan Y-Q (2019) POMOF/SWNT Nanocomposites with prominent peroxidase-mimicking activity for l-cysteine “on–off switch” colorimetric biosensing. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 11(18):16896–16904. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b00872
Lian J, Liu P, Jin C, Liu Q-Y, Zhang X, Zhang X (2020) Flower-like CeO2/CoO p–n heterojuncted nanocomposites with enhanced peroxidase-mimicking activity for l-cysteine sensing. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 8(47):17540–17550. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c06920
Mazhani M, Alula MT, Murape D (2020) Development of a cysteine sensor based on the peroxidase-like activity of AgNPs@ Fe3O4 core-shell nanostructures. Anal Chim Acta 1107:193–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2020.02.021
Ghosh Chaudhuri R, Paria S (2012) Core/shell nanoparticles: classes, properties, synthesis mechanisms, characterization, and applications. Chem Rev 112(4):2373–2433. https://doi.org/10.1021/cr100449n
Ataee-Esfahani H, Wang L, Nemoto Y, Yamauchi Y (2010) Synthesis of bimetallic au@pt nanoparticles with au core and nanostructured pt shell toward highly active electrocatalysts. Chem Mater 22(23):6310–6318. https://doi.org/10.1021/cm102074w
Pan N, Li-Ying W, Wu L-L, Peng C-F, Xie Z-J (2017) Colorimetric determination of cysteine by exploiting its inhibitory action on the peroxidase-like activity of Au@Pt core-shell nanohybrids. Microchim Acta 184(1):65–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-016-1981-6
Wan L, Wu L, Su S, Zhu D, Chao J, Wang L (2020) High peroxidase-mimicking activity of gold@platinum bimetallic nanoparticle-supported molybdenum disulfide nanohybrids for the selective colorimetric analysis of cysteine. Chem Commun 56(82):12351–12354. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CC05152G
Li J-J, Qiao D, Yang S-Z, Weng G-J, Zhu J, Zhao J-W (2021) Colorimetric determination of cysteine based on inhibition of GSH-Au/Pt NCs as peroxidase mimic. Spectrochim Acta Part A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 248:119257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2020.119257
He W, Liu Y, Yuan J, Yin J-J, Wu X, Hu X, Zhang K, Liu J, Chen C, Ji Y, Guo Y (2011) Au@Pt nanostructures as oxidase and peroxidase mimetics for use in immunoassays. Biomaterials 32(4):1139–1147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.09.040
Gao Z, Xu M, Lu M, Chen G, Tang D (2015) Urchin-like (gold core)@(platinum shell) nanohybrids: A highly efficient peroxidase-mimetic system for in situ amplified colorimetric immunoassay. Biosens Bioelectron 70:194–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2015.03.039
Zhao Y, Fu Q, Cui X, Chi H, Lu Y, Liu X, Yu M, Fei Q, Feng G, Shan H, Huan Y (2021) A colorimetric sensor for detecting thiourea based on inhibiting peroxidase-like activity of gold–platinum nanoparticles. Anal Methods 13(8):1069–1074. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0AY02283G
Peng C-F, Pan N, Zhi-Juan Q, Wei X-L, Shao G (2017) Colorimetric detection of thiocyanate based on inhibiting the catalytic activity of cystine-capped core-shell Au@Pt nanocatalysts. Talanta 175:114–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2017.06.005
Xie Z-J, Shi M-R, Wang L-Y, Peng C-F, Wei X-L (2020) Colorimetric determination of Pb2+ ions based on surface leaching of Au@Pt nanoparticles as peroxidase mimic. Microchim Acta 187(4):255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-020-04234-6
Cheng Q, Yang Y, Peng Y, Liu M (2020) Pt nanoparticles with high oxidase-like activity and reusability for detection of ascorbic acid. Nanomaterials 10(6):1015
Long L, Liu J, Lu K, Zhang T, Xie Y, Ji Y, Wu X (2018) Highly sensitive and robust peroxidase-like activity of Au–Pt core/shell nanorod-antigen conjugates for measles virus diagnosis. Journal of Nanobiotechnology 16(1):46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-018-0371-0
Acknowledgements
We thank the Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province (20200201238JC) and the Science and Technology Development Program of Jilin Province (20200404147YY).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chi, H., Cui, X., Lu, Y. et al. Colorimetric determination of cysteine based on Au@Pt nanoparticles as oxidase mimetics with enhanced selectivity. Microchim Acta 189, 13 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-021-05091-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-021-05091-7