McCall Fuglsang (brasskenya0)

Free proline, termed proline, is a biomarker used for diagnosing drought stress in plants. A previously developed proline-ninhydrin reaction-based paper sensor could quickly and easily detect proline, but it was limited by low sensitivity. In this study, we developed an enclosed multilayer paper-based microfluidic sensor with high sensitivity for the quantitative detection of proline in plants. The multilayer paper-based sensor was manufactured using simple wax printing and origami methods, and contained an internal mixing channel to allow good mixing of the proline with ninhydrin, increasing the proline-ninhydrin reactivity and providing accurate and sensitive proline detection. By preloading ninhydrin onto the sample loading area, uniform coloration of the sensing window was achieved, allowing quantitative analysis of various proline concentrations using a constant reaction time. Only the sensing window and sample loading area were exposed to limit sample evaporation and contamination from the external environment. The LOD of the fabricated sensor was 23 μM, which is approximately 29-fold lower than that of the previously proposed paper sensor (657 μM). Samples were extracted from A. thaliana plants subjected to drought stress for proline detection. The proline concentrations measured using the developed paper sensor and a spectrophotometric method were not statistically significant at a confidence level of 95%. Therefore, the developed sensor can be applied to measure proline concentrations precisely in the field with a low detection limit. The developed paper-based sensor can be used to detect the early stages of drought in plants and thus improve crop productivity. Nanozymes, or nanomaterials that mimic the behaviors of enzymes, are highly promising materials for biomedical applications because of their excellent chemical stability under harsh conditions, simple preparation method and lower costs compared with natural enzymes. We herein report the intrinsic oxidase-mimicking activity of molybdenum oxide nanoparticles (MoO3 NPs). MoO3 NPs catalyzed the oxidation of colorless 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) to green product. The catalytic mechanism of the oxidase-mimicking activity of the MoO3 NPs was investigated in detail using electron spin resonance and a radical inhibition method. The oxidation of ABTS stems from 1O2 generated from the interaction between MoO3 NPs and dissolved oxygen in the solution. Acid phosphatase (ACP) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AAP) substrate to produce ascorbic acid (AA). AA was found to fade the coloration process of the MoO3 NP-mediated ABTS oxidation. By combining the oxidase-mimicking property of the MoO3 NPs and the ACP-catalyzed hydrolysis of AAP, a novel and simple colorimetric method for detecting ACP was established. The linear range for ACP determination is 0.09-7.3 U/L with a detection limit of 0.011 U/L. This new colorimetric method was successfully applied to the detection of ACP in diluted human serum samples and screening of ACP inhibitors. The present study proposes MoO3 NPs as a new oxidase mimic for establishing various biosensing method. We have developed a simple and convenient route to prepare fluorescent carbon dots with dual emission peaks respectively at 470 and 570 nm. The prepared dual-emission carbon dots can be used for ratiometric detection of Fe3+ ions in the range from 0 to 50 μmol·L-1 with 0.8 μmol·L-1 detection limit based on the fluorescence quenching at 570 nm. The quenched fluorescence induced by Fe3+ ions could be recovered by pyrophosphate. We further used the carbon dots-Fe3+ ions-pyrophosphate mixed system for ratiometric detection of acid phosphatase in the range from 0.08 to 6.75 μg·mL-1 with 0.01 μg·mL-1 detection limit. Herein, a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe based on CDs@Eu/GMP ICP nanoparticles was developed for the detection of Aβ monom