3,4-Dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine for Preparation of Gold Nanoparticles and as Electron Transfer Promoter in H2O2 Biosensor

Transformation of L-DOPA and Dopamine on the Surface of Gold Nanoparticles: An NMR and Computational Study

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have found applications in biomedicine as diagnostic tools, but extensive research efforts have been also directed toward their development as more efficient drug delivery agents. The high specific surface area of AuNPs may provide dense loading of molecules like catechols (L-DOPA and dopamine) on nanosurfaces, enabling functionalization strategies for advancing conventional therapy and diagnostic approaches of neurodegenerative diseases. Despite numerous well-described procedures in the literature for preparation of different AuNPs, possible transformation and structural changes of surface functionalization agents have not been considered thoroughly. As a case in point, the catechols L-DOPA and dopamine were selected because of their susceptibility to oxidation, cyclization, and polymerization. To assess the fate of coating and functionalization agents during the preparation of AuNPs or interaction at the nano-bio interface, a combination of spectroscopy, light scattering, and microscopy techniques was used while structural information and reaction mechanism were obtained by NMR in combination with computational tools. The results revealed that the final form of catechol on the AuNP nanosurface depends on the molar ratio of Au used for AuNP preparation. A large molar excess of L-DOPA or dopamine is needed to prepare AuNPs funtionalized with fully reduced catechols. In the case of molar excess of Au, the oxidation of catechols to dopamine quinone and dopaquinone was promoted, and dopaquinone underwent intramolecular cyclization in which additional oxidation products, leukodopachrome, dopachrome, or its tautomer, were formed because of the larger intrinsic acidity of the more nucleophilic amino group in dopaquinone. MD simulations showed that, of the oxidation products, dopachrome had the highest affinity for binding to the AuNPs surface. The results highlight how a more versatile methodological approach, combining experimental and in silico techniques, allows more reliable characterization of binding events at the surface of AuNPs for possible applications in biomedicine.

A Multicomponent Polymer-Metal-Enzyme System as Electrochemical Biosensor for H2O2 Detection

Herein, an Au nanoparticles-polydopamine-poly acrylic acid-graphene (Au NPs-PDA-PAA-graphene) multicomponent nanohybrid is fabricated by surface functionalization of graphene alongside extensive in-situ growth of Au nanoparticles. The as-obtained nanocomposite possesses good hydrophilicity, excellent biocompatibility and high biomolecules loading capacity, which acts as an ideal platform for enzyme modification. Considering this fact, Horseradish peroxidase is expressively immobilized upon Au NPs-PDA-PAA-graphene surface, in order to lay the foundations of a biosensor that is majorly based on enzymatic activity. The biosensor exhibits higher sensitivity towards the determination of H2O2 with linearity ranging from 0.1 μm upto 20 mm, and the limit of detection going down to 0.02 μm. Encouraged by its acceptable electrocatalytic performance, this multicomponent system can also be easily employed for carrying out the real-time tracking of H2O2 coming out of Macrophage cells. Therefore, this work designs an extraordinarily updated platform for biosensing related applications, and also presents a reliable platform for the direct detection of H2O2in vivo and in vitro, which show great potential in bioelectroanalytical chemistry, cellular biology, and pathophysiology.

Polydopamine Coating of Glucan Particles Increases Uptake into Peyer's Patches

Glucan particles (GPs) are hollow, porous 3-4 μm microspheres derived from the cell walls of Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The β-1,3-D glucan outer shell of GPs provides for receptor-mediated uptake by phagocytic cells expressing β-glucan receptors. GPs have been used for efficient encapsulation of different types of payloads (DNA, siRNA, proteins, antigens, small molecules), and these payloads have been delivered in vivo by a variety of routes including oral delivery. It is known that GPs are transported across the intestinal epithelium by Peyer's patch M-cells and accumulate in a subset of CD11c+Langerin-positive dendritic cells (DC) in the subepithelial dome (SED). An increase in GP uptake in the intestinal epithelium is needed to improve our efforts to develop GPs for oral delivery of therapeutics and vaccines. In this Article, we report that polydopamine coating of GPs (PDA-GPs) increases transepithelial uptake. Synthesis of PDA-GPs was optimized to allow for encapsulation of payloads inside the hollow cavity of GPs. PDA-GPs and GP controls were orally administered to mice, and PDA-GPs showed a 42% increased uptake in SED phagocytes. PDA-GP uptake by SED phagocytes in control and M-cell-depleted mice demonstrated both M-cell-dependent and -independent mechanisms. In future studies, we will evaluate PDA-GPs for oral vaccine delivery and the use of PDA-functional groups for secondary surface derivatization to generate particles with ligands targeting other intestinal epithelium cell-surface receptors.

Multibranched Gold Nanoparticles with Intrinsic LAT-1 Targeting Capabilities for Selective Photothermal Therapy of Breast Cancer

Because of the critical role of the large neutral amino acid transporter-1 (LAT-1) in promoting tumor growth and proliferation, it is fast emerging as a highly attractive biomarker for the imaging and treatment of human malignancies, including breast cancer. While multibranched gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have emerged as a promising modality in the photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancers, some of the key challenges limiting their clinical translation lie in the need to develop reproducible and cost-effective synthetic methods as well as the selective accumulation of sufficient AuNPs at tumor sites. In this study, we report a simple and direct seed-mediated synthesis of monodispersed multibranched AuNPs using the catechol-containing LAT-1 ligands, L- and D-dopa, to confer active cancer targeting. This route obviates the need for additional conjugation with targeting moieties such as peptides or antibodies. Nanoflower-like AuNPs (AuNF) with diameters of approximately 46, 70, and 90 nm were obtained and were found to possess excellent colloidal stability and biocompatibility. A significantly higher intracellular accumulation of the L- and D-dopa functionalized AuNFs was observed in a panel of breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and MDA-MB-453) when compared to the nontargeting control AuNFs synthesized with dopamine and 4-ethylcatechol. Importantly, no significant difference in uptake between the targeting and nontargeting AuNFs was observed in a non-tumorigenic MCF-10A breast epithelial cell line, hence demonstrating tumor selectivity. For PTT of breast cancer, Ag⁺ was introduced during synthesis to obtain L-dopa functionalized nanourchin-like AuNPs (AuNUs) with strong near-infrared (NIR) absorbance. The L-dopa functionalized AuNUs mediated selective photothermal ablation of the triple negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line and sensitized the cells to the anticancer drugs cisplatin and docetaxel. This work brings forward an effective strategy for the facile preparation of cancer targeting multibranched AuNPs with potential for the in vivo PTT of breast cancer.

Mussel-Inspired Anisotropic Nanocellulose and Silver Nanoparticle Composite with Improved Mechanical Properties, Electrical Conductivity and Antibacterial Activity

Materials for wearable devices, tissue engineering and bio-sensing applications require both antibacterial activity to prevent bacterial infection and biofilm formation, and electrical conductivity to electric signals inside and outside of the human body. Recently, cellulose nanofibers have been utilized for various applications but cellulose itself has neither antibacterial activity nor conductivity. Here, an antibacterial and electrically conductive composite was formed by generating catechol mediated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the surface of cellulose nanofibers. The chemically immobilized catechol moiety on the nanofibrous cellulose network reduced Ag⁺ to form AgNPs on the cellulose nanofiber. The AgNPs cellulose composite showed excellent antibacterial efficacy against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, the catechol conjugation and the addition of AgNP induced anisotropic self-alignment of the cellulose nanofibers which enhances electrical and mechanical properties of the composite. Therefore, the composite containing AgNPs and anisotropic aligned the cellulose nanofiber may be useful for biomedical applications.

Horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed polymerization of L-DOPA for mono-/bi-enzyme immobilization and amperometric biosensing of H2O2 and uric acid

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-catalyzed polymerization of L-DOPA (vs. dopamine) in the presence of H2O2 (and uricase (UOx)) was exploited to immobilize mono-/bi-enzymes for hydroquinone-mediated amperometric biosensing of H2O2 and uric acid (UA). The relevant polymeric biocomposites (PBCs) were prepared in phosphate buffer solution containing HRP and L-DOPA (or plus UOx) after adding H2O2. The mono-/bi-enzyme amperometric biosensors were prepared simply by casting some of the PBCs on Au-plated Au (Au(plate)/Au) electrodes, followed by coating with an outer-layer chitosan (CS) film for each. UV-vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used for film characterization and/or process monitoring. The HRP immobilized by enzyme catalysis well preserved its bioactivity, as confirmed by UV-vis spectrophotometry. Under optimized conditions, the monoenzyme CS/HRP-poly(L-DOPA) (PD)/Au(plate)/Au electrode potentiostated at -0.1V responded linearly to H2O2 concentration from 0.001 to 1.25mM with a sensitivity of 700μA mM(-1)cm(-2) and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1μM, and the bienzyme CS/UOx-HRP-PD/Au(plate)/Au electrode at -0.1V responded linearly to UA concentration from 0.001 to 0.4mM with a sensitivity of 349μA mM(-1)cm(-2) and a LOD of 0.1μM. The mono-/bi-enzyme biosensors based on biosynthesized PD performed better than many reported analogues and those based on similarly biosynthesized polydopamine.

Immobilization of Enzymes by Electrochemical and Chemical Oxidative Polymerization of L-DOPA to Fabricate Amperometric Biosensors and Biofuel Cells

Electrochemical/chemical oxidative synthesis and biosensing/biofuel cell applications of poly(L-DOPA) (PD) are studied versus polydopamine (PDA) as a recent hotspot biomaterial. The enzyme electrode developed by coelectrodeposition of PD and glucose oxidase (GOx), uricase, or tyrosinase shows biosensing performance superior to that of the corresponding PDA-based enzyme electrode. The chemical oxidative polymerization of L-DOPA (PDC) by NaAuCl4 in GOx-containing neutral aqueous solution is used to immobilize GOx and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The thus-prepared chitosan (CS)/GOx-PDC-AuNPs/Au(plate)/Au electrode working in the first-generation biosensing mode responds linearly to glucose concentration with a sensitivity of 152 μA mM(-1) cm(-2), which is larger than those of the CS/GOx-PDAC-AuNPs/Au(plate)/Au electrode, the CS/GOx-poly(3-anilineboronic acid) (PABA)-AuNPs/Au(plate)/Au electrode, and the most reported GOx-based enzyme electrodes. This PDC-based enzyme electrode also works well in the second-generation biosensing mode and as an excellent bioanode in biofuel cell construction, probably because PD as an amino acid polymer has the higher biocompatibility and the more favorable affinity to the enzyme than PDA. The PD material of great convenience in synthesis, outstanding biocompatibility for preparing high-performance bionanocomposites, and strong capability of multifunctional coatings on many surfaces may find wide applications in diversified fields including biotechnology and surface-coating.

Mussel-inspired synthesis of boron nitride nanosheet-supported gold nanoparticles and their application for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-decorated boron nitride nanosheet (BNNS) was successfully prepared through the simultaneous reduction of Au(3+) ions and the growth of AuNPs on polydopamine (PDA)-grafted BNNS. Both BNNS-AuNP and PDA-BNNS are successfully synthesized in an aqueous buffer solution (pH 8.5) in the absence of any chemical reducing agent and organic reaction, which is therefore environmentally friendly and highly beneficial for the mass production of green catalysts from 2D nanomaterials. BNNS-AuNP showed remarkable dispersion stability in aqueous media and revealed high catalytic efficiency for the reduction of nitrophenol as (4-NP) into 4-aminophenol (4-AP) within 8 min in water. The 2D structural feature of BNNS-AuNP also enables isolation and recycling of catalyst from 4-AP through the ultracentrifugation, which shows the retention of more than 60% of catalytic activity of BNNS-AuNP after five repetitions of the of recycling steps.

Hierarchical polystyrene@reduced graphene oxide–Pt core–shell microspheres for non-enzymatic detection of hydrogen peroxide

A non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor based on polystyrene@reduced graphene oxide (RGO)–Pt core–shell microspheres was developed for sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂).

Ferrocene-functionalized polydopamine as a novel redox matrix for H2O2 oxidation

Simple synthesis of a ferrocene-functionalized polydopamine [poly(DA-Fc)] is described. This redox film displays excellent electrocatalytic oxidation of H₂O₂ in neutral buffer solutions in a Fenton-type reaction, and is found to be selective to H₂O₂ with negligible interference from other small molecules.

Catechol-based biomimetic functional materials

Catechols are found in nature taking part in a remarkably broad scope of biochemical processes and functions. Though not exclusively, such versatility may be traced back to several properties uniquely found together in the o-dihydroxyaryl chemical function; namely, its ability to establish reversible equilibria at moderate redox potentials and pHs and to irreversibly cross-link through complex oxidation mechanisms; its excellent chelating properties, greatly exemplified by, but by no means exclusive, to the binding of Fe(3+); and the diverse modes of interaction of the vicinal hydroxyl groups with all kinds of surfaces of remarkably different chemical and physical nature. Thanks to this diversity, catechols can be found either as simple molecular systems, forming part of supramolacular structures, coordinated to different metal ions or as macromolecules mostly arising from polymerization mechanisms through covalent bonds. Such versatility has allowed catechols to participate in several natural processes and functions that range from the adhesive properties of marine organisms to the storage of some transition metal ions. As a result of such an astonishing range of functionalities, catechol-based systems have in recent years been subject to intense research, aimed at mimicking these natural systems in order to develop new functional materials and coatings. A comprehensive review of these studies is discussed in this paper.

GOLD NANOPARTICLES-BASED BIOSENSORS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATION

Gold nanoparticles are the most extensively studied nanomaterials for biomedical application due to their unique properties, such as rapid and simple synthesis, large surface area, strong adsorption ability and facile conjugation to various biomolecules. The remarkable photophysical properties of gold nanoparticles have provided plenty of opportunities for the preparation of gold nanoparticles-based optical biosensors, while the excellent biocompatibility, conductivity, catalytic properties and large surface-to-volume ratio have facilitated the application of gold nanoparticles in the construction of electrochemical biosensors. In this review, we mainly detail the gold nanoparticles-based optical and electrochemical biosensors for biomedical application in the recent two years, which have exhibited greatly enhanced analytical performances in the detection of DNA, proteins and some important small molecules.

Nanomechanical characterization of chemical interaction between gold nanoparticles and chemical functional groups

We report on how to quantify the binding affinity between a nanoparticle and chemical functional group using various experimental methods such as cantilever assay, PeakForce quantitative nanomechanical property mapping, and lateral force microscopy. For the immobilization of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto a microscale silicon substrate, we have considered two different chemical functional molecules of amine and catecholamine (here, dopamine was used). It is found that catecholamine-modified surface is more effective for the functionalization of AuNPs onto the surface than the amine-modified surface, which has been shown from our various experiments. The dimensionless parameter (i.e., ratio of binding affinity) introduced in this work from such experiments is useful in quantitatively depicting such binding affinity, indicating that the binding affinity and stability between AuNPs and catecholamine is approximately 1.5 times stronger than that between amine and AuNPs. Our study sheds light on the experiment-based quantitative characterization of the binding affinity between nanomaterial and chemical groups, which will eventually provide an insight into how to effectively design the functional material using chemical groups.