A new route for simple and rapid determination of hydrogen peroxide in RAW264.7 macrophages by microchip electrophoresis

Simultaneous fluorescence visualization of mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide and zinc ions in live cells and in vivo

We have developed two new fluorescent probes termedM-H2O2andM-Znfor simultaneous imaging of hydrogen peroxide and zinc ions in mitochondria.

Bimetallic Au@Pt@Au core-shell nanoparticles on graphene oxide nanosheets for high-performance H2O2 bi-directional sensing

Bimetallic Au@Pt@Au triple-layered core-shell nanoparticles consisting of a Au core, Pt inner shell, and an outer shell composed of Au protuberances on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were successfully prepared by a galvanic replacement and reagent reduction reaction. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were employed to characterize the GO-supported Au@Pt@Au (GO/Au@Pt@Au) nanocomposites. The as-prepared catalyst has peroxidase-like activity, allowing it to express high electrocatalytic ability in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) oxidation and reduction, thus leading to a highly sensitive H₂O₂ bi-directional amperometric sensing. The bi-directional sensor showed a linear range from 0.05 μM to 17.5 mM with a detection limit of 0.02 μM (S/N = 3) at an applied potential of +0.5 V and a linear range from 0.5 μM to 110 mM with a detection limit of 0.25 μM (S/N = 3) at an applied potential of -0.3 V. The proposed sensor was tested to determine H₂O₂ released from living cells and shows good application potential in biological electrochemistry.

Inflammation responsive logic gate nanoparticles for the delivery of proteins

Oxidative stress and reduced pH are important stimuli targets for intracellular delivery and for delivery to diseased tissue. However, there is a dearth of materials able to deliver bioactive agents selectively under these conditions. We employed our recently developed dual response strategy to build a polymeric nanoparticle that degrades upon exposure to two stimuli in tandem. Our polythioether ketal based nanoparticles undergo two chemical transformations; the first is the oxidation of the thioether groups along the polymer backbone of the nanoparticles upon exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS). This transformation switches the polymeric backbone from hydrophobic to hydrophilic and thus allows, in mildly acidic environments, the rapid acid-catalyzed degradation of the ketal groups also along the polymer backbone. Dynamic light scattering and payload release studies showed full particle degradation only in conditions that combined both oxidative stress and acidity, and these conditions led to higher release of encapsulated protein within 24 h. Nanoparticles in neutral pH and under oxidative conditions showed small molecule release and swelling of otherwise intact nanparticles. Notably, cellular studies show absence of toxicity and efficient uptake of nanoparticles by macrophages followed by cytoplasmic release of ovalbumin. Future work will apply this system to inflammatory diseases.

Electrokinetic gated injection-based microfluidic system for quantitative analysis of hydrogen peroxide in individual HepG2 cells

A microfluidic system to determine hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in individual HepG2 cells based on the electrokinetic gated injection was developed for the first time. A home-synthesized fluorescent probe, bis(p-methylbenzenesulfonate)dichlorofluorescein (FS), was employed to label intracellular H(2)O(2) in the intact cells. On a simple cross microchip, multiple single-cell operations, including single cell injection, cytolysis, electrophoresis separation and detection of H(2)O(2), were automatically carried out within 60 s using the electrokinetic gated injection and laser-induced fluorescence detection (LIFD). The performance of the method was evaluated under the optimal conditions. The linear calibration curve was over a range of 4.39-610 amol (R(2)=0.9994). The detection limit was 0.55 amol or 9.0×10(-10) M (S/N=3). The relative standard deviations (RSDs, n=6) of migration time and peak area were 1.4% and 4.8%, respectively. With the use of this method, the average content of H(2)O(2) in single HepG2 cells was found to be 16.09±9.84 amol (n=15). Separation efficiencies in excess of 17,000 theoretical plates for the cells were achieved. These results demonstrated that the efficient integration and automation of these single-cell operations enabled the sensitive, reproducible, and quantitative examination of intracellular H(2)O(2) at single-cell level. Owing to the advantages of simple microchip structure, controllable single-cell manipulation and ease in building, this platform provides a universal way to automatically determine other intracellular constituents within single cells.

Heme induces DNA damage and hyperproliferation of colonic epithelial cells via hydrogen peroxide produced by heme oxygenase: a possible mechanism of heme-induced colon cancer

Epidemiological and animal model studies have suggested that high intake of heme, present in red meat, is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are not clear. This study aimed to investigate whether heme induces DNA damage and cell proliferation of colonic epithelial cells via hydrogen peroxide produced by heme oxygenase (HO). We examined the effects of zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP; a HO inhibitor) and catalase on DNA damage, cell proliferation, and IL-8 production induced by the addition of hemin (1-10 microM) to human colonic epithelial Caco-2 cells. DNA damage was determined with a comet assay, and cell proliferation was evaluated with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation assay. Both ZnPP and exogenous catalase inhibited the hemin-induced DNA damage and cell hyperproliferation dose-dependently. IL-8 messenger RNA expression and IL-8 production in the epithelial cells increased following the hemin treatment, but the production was inhibited by ZnPP and catalase. These results indicate that hemin has genotoxic and hyperproliferative effects on Caco-2 cells by HO and hydrogen peroxide. The mechanism might explain why a high intake of heme is associated with increased risk of colon cancer.

A palette of fluorescent probes with varying emission colors for imaging hydrogen peroxide signaling in living cells

We present a new family of fluorescent probes with varying emission colors for selectively imaging hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) generated at physiological cell signaling levels. This structurally homologous series of fluorescein- and rhodol-based reporters relies on a chemospecific boronate-to-phenol switch to respond to H(2)O(2) over a panel of biologically relevant reactive oxygen species (ROS) with tunable excitation and emission maxima and sensitivity to endogenously produced H(2)O(2) signals, as shown by studies in RAW264.7 macrophages during the phagocytic respiratory burst and A431 cells in response to EGF stimulation. We further demonstrate the utility of these reagents in multicolor imaging experiments by using one of the new H(2)O(2)-specific probes, Peroxy Orange 1 (PO1), in conjunction with the green-fluorescent highly reactive oxygen species (hROS) probe, APF. This dual-probe approach allows for selective discrimination between changes in H(2)O(2) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) levels in live RAW264.7 macrophages. Moreover, when macrophages labeled with both PO1 and APF were stimulated to induce an immune response, we discovered three distinct types of phagosomes: those that generated mainly hROS, those that produced mainly H(2)O(2), and those that possessed both types of ROS. The ability to monitor multiple ROS fluxes simultaneously using a palette of different colored fluorescent probes opens new opportunities to disentangle the complex contributions of oxidation biology to living systems by molecular imaging.

Nanoencapsulation method for high selectivity sensing of hydrogen peroxide inside live cells

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are ubiquitous in life and death processes of cells (Finkel, T.; Holbrook, N. J. Nature 2000, 408 (6809), 239-247), with a major role played by the most stable ROS, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). However, the study of H(2)O(2) in live cells has been hampered by the absence of selective probes. Described here is a novel nanoprobe ("nanoPEBBLE") with dramatically improved H(2)O(2) selectivity. The traditional molecular probe, 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin (DCFH), which is also sensitive to most other ROS, was empowered with high selectivity by a nanomatrix that blocks the interference from all other ROS (hydroxyl radical, superoxide, nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, hypochlorous acid, and alkylperoxyl radical), as well as from enzymes such as peroxidases. The blocking is based on the combination of multiple exclusion principles: time barrier, hydrophobic energy barrier, and size barrier. However, H(2)O(2) sensitivity is maintained down to low nanomolar concentrations. The surface of the nanoprobe was engineered to address biological applications, and the power of this new nanoPEBBLE is demonstrated by its use on RAW264.7 murine macrophages. These nanoprobes may provide a powerful chemical detection/imaging tool for investigating biological mechanisms related to H(2)O(2) or other species, with high spatial and temporal resolution.