Bimetallic Bi/Pt peroxidase mimic and its bioanalytical applications

Maneuvering the Peroxidase-Like Activity of Palladium-Based Nanozymes by Alloying with Oxophilic Bismuth for Biosensing

Engineering the catalytic performance of nanozymes is of vital importance for their broad applications in biological analysis, cancer treatment, and environmental management. Herein, a strategy to boost the peroxidase-like activity of Pd-based nanozymes with oxophilic metallic bismuth (Bi) is demonstrated, which is based on the incorporation of oxophilic Bi in the Pd-based alloy nanocrystals (NCs). To synthesize PdBi alloy NCs, a seed-mediated method is employed with the assistance of underpotential deposition (UPD) of Bi on Pd. The strong interaction of Bi atoms with Pd surfaces favors the formation of alloy structures with controllable shapes and excellent monodispersity. More importantly, the PdBi NCs show excellent peroxidase-like activities compared with pristine Pd NCs. The structure-function correlations for the PdBi nanozymes are elucidated, and an indirect colorimetric method based on cascade reactions to determine alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is established. This method has good linear range, low detection limit, excellent selectivity, and anti-interference. Collectively, this work not only provides new insights for the design of high-efficiency nanozymes, expands the colorimetric sensing platform based on enzyme cascade reactions, but also represents a new example for UPD-directed synthesis of alloy NCs.

Heterometallic nanomaterials: activity modulation, sensing, imaging and therapy

Heterometallic nanomaterials (HMNMs) display superior physicochemical properties and stability to monometallic counterparts, accompanied by wider applications in the fields of catalysis, sensing, imaging, and therapy due to synergistic effects between multi-metals in HMNMs. So far, most reviews have mainly concentrated on introduction of their preparation approaches, morphology control and applications in catalysis, assay of heavy metal ions, and antimicrobial activity. Therefore, it is very important to summarize the latest investigations of activity modulation of HMNMs and their recent applications in sensing, imaging and therapy. Taking the above into consideration, we briefly underline appealing chemical/physical properties of HMNMs chiefly tailored through the sizes, shapes, compositions, structures and surface modification. Then, we particularly emphasize their widespread applications in sensing of targets (e.g. metal ions, small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, and cancer cells), imaging (frequently involving photoluminescence, fluorescence, Raman, electrochemiluminescence, magnetic resonance, X-ray computed tomography, photoacoustic imaging, etc.), and therapy (e.g. radiotherapy, chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and chemodynamic therapy). Finally, we present an outlook on their forthcoming directions. This timely review would be of great significance for attracting researchers from different disciplines in developing novel HMNMs.

Label-free fluorescence detection of hydrogen peroxide and glucose based on the Ni-MOF nanozyme-induced self-ligand emission

A bifunctional Ni-MOF nanosheet was synthesized and developed for label-free fluorescent detection of H₂O₂ and glucose. The Ni-MOF exhibited intrinsic peroxidase-like activity and its catalytic activity was demonstrated to be originated from the hydroxyl radicals (•OH) produced in catalytic process. Since the generated •OH enabled terephthalic acid, the non-fluorescent organic ligand of Ni-MOF, to form a strongly fluorescent 2-hydroxy terephthalic acid, the Ni-MOF nanozyme was endowed with dual-function properties of mimicking peroxidase and emitting fluorescence. Based on this bifunctional Ni-MOF nanozyme, the proposed label-free fluorescence sensing strategy was applied to detecting H₂O₂ and glucose with wide linear ranges of 0.1-20 mM and 8-30 μM, and low detection limits of 4.0 × 10^-5 M and 4.0 × 10^-6 M, respectively. Furthermore, the bifunctional Ni-MOF-based label-free sensing platform was successfully used for the glucose detection in human serum samples, showing good reproducibility and high accuracy. This strategy provides a green and sensitive method for the determination of small biomolecules in practical applications by the combination of enzyme cascade reaction.

Protein-Assisted Osmium Nanoclusters with Intrinsic Peroxidase-like Activity and Extrinsic Antifouling Behavior

Extensive studies have laid the groundwork for understanding peroxidase-like nanozymes. However, improvements are still required before their practical applications. On one hand, it is significant to explore highly reactive nanozymes. On the other hand, it is necessary to avoid fouling formed on the surface of nanozymes, which will affect their activity and the results of H₂O₂ sensors or H₂O₂-related applications. Herein, a strategy is reported to design osmium nanoclusters (Os NCs) with the existence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) through biomineralization. BSA-Os NCs were found to possess intrinsic peroxidase-like activity with a high specific activity (6120 U/g). Studies also found that the catalytic activity of BSA-Os NCs was better than those of reported protein-assisted metal nanozymes (e.g., BSA-Pt NPs and BSA-Au NCs). More significantly, BSA has been confirmed as a protective shell to give Os NCs extrinsic antifouling property in some typical ions (e.g., Hg²⁺, Ag⁺, Pb²⁺, I^-, Cr⁶⁺, Cu²⁺, Ce³⁺, S^2-, etc.), saline (0-2 M), or protein (0-100 mg/mL) conditions. Under optimal conditions, a colorimetric sensor was established to realize a linear range of H₂O₂ from 1.25 to 200 μM with a low detection limit of 300 nM. On this basis, remarkable features enable a BSA-Os NCs-based colorimetric sensor to detect H₂O₂ from complex systems with clear color gradients. Together, this work highlights the advantages of protein-assisted Os nanozymes and provides a paragon for peroxidase-like nanozymes in H₂O₂-related applications.

Boosting the oxidase-like activity of platinum nanozyme in MBTH-TOOS chromogenic system for detection of trypsin and its inhibitor

Nanozymes, as a new type of artificial enzyme, have recently become a research hotspot in the field of catalysis and biomedicine. However, the application of nanozyme is limited by catalytic activity changes of different substrates and low specificity. This work shows that citrate-capped platinum nanoparticles (Cit-PtNPs) exhibit stronger oxidase-like activity than other platinum nanozymes at different pH when 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinonehydrazone hydrochloride (MBTH) and n-ethyl-n- (2-hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl)-m-toluidine sodium salt (TOOS) were used as chromogenic substrates. This phenomenon has important reference value for different nanozymes to choose chromogenic substrates in catalysis. In MBTH-TOOS chromogenic system, MBTH (-NH) radical is first produced during the reaction through catalytic oxidation of Cit-PtNPs, which reacts with TOOS to produce a colorless compound. The blue-purple quinoid dye was produced through the dismutation of the colorless compound. The catalytic mechanism of the oxidase-like activity of Cit-PtNPs is that two-electron reduction process and four-electron reduction process are simultaneously carried out in the catalytic process. Furthermore, to solve the problem of low specificity of metal nanozymes, protamine is designed as aggregation promoter of Cit-PtNPs and the specifichydrolysis substrate of trypsin. In this work, it can achieve one-step detection of trypsin by the boosting oxidase activity of Cit-PtNPs at pH8. The catalytic activity of Cit-PtNPs is proportional to the concentration of trypsin. The linear range for trypsin is 1.0-70.0 ngmL^-1 and the limit of detection is measured to be 0.6 ngmL^-1. This novel method has also been successfully applied to the detection of inhibitors and trypsin in urine samples.

Photothermometric analysis of bismuth ions using aggregation-induced nanozyme system with a target-triggered surface cleaning effect

The development of nanozyme-based photothermometric sensing for point-of-care testing (POCT) heavy metal ions is of great significance for disease diagnosis and health management. Considering the low catalytic activity of most nanozymes at physiological pH, we found bismuth ions (Bi³⁺) could effectively enhance the peroxidase (POX)-like activity of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and citrate-capped octahedral gold nanoparticle (CTAB/Cit-AuNP) nanozymes. It is mainly based on Bi³⁺ ions being able to trigger the surface cleaning effect of CTAB/Cit-AuNPs. Because the more active Bi³⁺ ions could effectively bind with citrate on the gold surface and competitively destroy the electrostatic interaction between citrate and CTAB, resulting in the removal of CTAB ligands from the gold surface. Without the ligand protection, CTAB/Cit-AuNPs aggregated immediately, and further resulted in a significant activation of the POX-like activity of AuNP nanozymes. Based on this principle, we introduced the enzyme substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into this aggregation-induced nanozyme system, and rationally designed a photothermometric platform to quickly and sensitively detect Bi³⁺ ions by using the good photothermal effect of the oxidation product of TMB (oxTMB). The developed photothermometric method only using a common thermometer has a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 45.7 nM for POCT analysis of Bi³⁺ ions. This study not only provides a more accurate understanding of the aggregation-induced nanozymes based on the surface cleaning principle, but also shows the potential applications of aggregation-induced nanozymes in the POCT field.

Controllable Synthesis of Bimetallic Nanostructures Using Biogenic Reagents: A Green Perspective

Bimetallic nanostructures are emerging as a significant class of metal nanomaterials due to their exceptional properties that are useful in various areas of science and technology. When used for catalysis and sensing applications, bimetallic nanostructures have been noted to exhibit better performance relative to their monometallic counterparts owing to synergistic effects. Furthermore, their dual metal composition and configuration can be modulated to achieve optimal activity for the desired functions. However, as with other nanostructured metals, bimetallic nanostructures are usually prepared through wet chemical routes that involve the use of harsh reducing agents and hazardous stabilizing agents. In response to intensifying concerns over the toxicity of chemicals used in nanomaterial synthesis, the scientific community has increasingly turned its attention toward environmentally and biologically compatible reagents that can enable green and sustainable nanofabrication processes. This article aims to provide an evaluation of the green synthetic methods of constructing bimetallic nanostructures, with emphasis on the use of biogenic resources (e.g., plant extracts, DNA, proteins) as safe and practical reagents. Special attention is devoted to biogenic synthetic protocols that demonstrate controllable nanoscale features, such as size, composition, morphology, and configuration. The potential use of these biogenically prepared bimetallic nanostructures as catalysts and sensors is also discussed. It is hoped that this article will serve as a valuable reference on bimetallic nanostructures and will help fuel new ideas for the development of more eco-friendly strategies for the controllable synthesis of various types of nanostructured bimetallic systems.

High-efficiency artificial enzyme cascade bio-platform based on MOF-derived bimetal nanocomposite for biosensing

In this paper, a high-performance enzyme cascade bio-platform has been developed for biosensing by combining MOFs-based nanozyme and natural enzymes. Firstly, a novel porous mixed bi-metal oxide (MnCo₂O₄) derived from MOF with rod-like nanostructures was synthesized. Based on this, the nanozyme of bovine serum albumin-Pt nanoparticles@mesoporous MnCo₂O₄ (BSA-PtNP@MnCo₂O₄) was successfully synthesized and used to construct enzyme cascade bio-platform. The nanozyme had unique physicochemical surface properties and hierarchical structure. Due to the synergistic effect of protein, bimetal oxide and PtNP, the nanozyme presented excellent dual enzyme activity. On the one hand, BSA-PtNP@MnCo₂O₄ can be used as nanozyme with oxidase activity to achieve superior detection of glutathione with detection limit of 0.42 μM. On the other hand, BSA- PtNP@MnCo₂O₄ can also be used both as the nanozyme with great peroxidase activity and as a scaffold for immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx), guiding an organized high-efficiency enzyme cascade bio-platform. The platform combined advantages of nanozyme and natural enzyme, and provided excellent glucose detection with the detection limit of 8.1 μM. The tandem catalytic system not only broadened the application of nanozyme in natural enzyme catalysis, but also provided a simple, efficient and organized enzyme cascade bio-platform for biosensing and other applications.

Pt nanoparticle-coupled WO2.72 nanoplates as multi-enzyme mimetics for colorimetric detection and radical elimination

Nanomaterials that exhibit enzyme-like activity (nanozymes) have attracted significant attention due to their potential for applications in analytical tests and in the biological field. In this study, an enzyme-like nanomaterial is developed by coupling Pt nanoparticles with WO_2.72 (Pt/WO_2.72). The resultant nanocomposite nanomaterial exhibits peroxidase activity and catalase activity. Moreover, owing to the presence of W⁶⁺ and W⁵⁺ in WO_2.72, Pt/WO_2.72 nanoplates demonstrate promise as scavengers of hydroxyl radicals. The Pt/WO_2.72 composite nanoplates exhibit excellent peroxidase-like activity for the sensitive colorimetric detection of H₂O₂ and blood glucose. These Pt/WO_2.72 nanoplates are thought to be a promising tool for broad potential applications in biomedicine, biotechnology, and environmental chemistry. Pt nanoparticles anchored WO_2.72 nanoplates (Pt/WO_2.72) as a multienzyme-like mimetics exhibits peroxidase activity and catalase activity. Furthermore, this composite can be acted scavengers of hydroxyl radicals.

Nanozymes: Classification, Catalytic Mechanisms, Activity Regulation, and Applications

Because of the high catalytic activities and substrate specificity, natural enzymes have been widely used in industrial, medical, and biological fields, etc. Although promising, they often suffer from intrinsic shortcomings such as high cost, low operational stability, and difficulties of recycling. To overcome these shortcomings, researchers have been devoted to the exploration of artificial enzyme mimics for a long time. Since the discovery of ferromagnetic nanoparticles with intrinsic horseradish peroxidase-like activity in 2007, a large amount of studies on nanozymes have been constantly emerging in the next decade. Nanozymes are one kind of nanomaterials with enzymatic catalytic properties. Compared with natural enzymes, nanozymes have the advantages such as low cost, high stability and durability, which have been widely used in industrial, medical, and biological fields. A thorough understanding of the possible catalytic mechanisms will contribute to the development of novel and high-efficient nanozymes, and the rational regulations of the activities of nanozymes are of great significance. In this review, we systematically introduce the classification, catalytic mechanism, activity regulation as well as recent research progress of nanozymes in the field of biosensing, environmental protection, and disease treatments, etc. in the past years. We also propose the current challenges of nanozymes as well as their future research focus. We anticipate this review may be of significance for the field to understand the properties of nanozymes and the development of novel nanomaterials with enzyme mimicking activities.

Nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics (nanozymes): next-generation artificial enzymes (II)

An updated comprehensive review to help researchers understand nanozymes better and in turn to advance the field.

Colorimetric determination of glucose in solution and via the use of a paper strip by exploiting the peroxidase and oxidase mimicking activity of bimetallic Cu-Pd nanoparticles deposited on reduced graphene oxide, graphitic carbon nitride, or MoS2 nanosheets

This work describes the preparation of bimetallic Cu-Pd nanoparticles (NPs) on supports like reduced graphene oxide (rGO), graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) and MoS₂ sheets with a size of <10 nm. rGO is found to be the best support for synthesizing Cu-Pd NPs with controlled shape, size and oxidation state. The Cu-Pd/rGO nanocomposite also demonstrated the best peroxidase and oxidase mimicking activity compared to Cu-Pd/g-C₃N₄ and Cu-Pd/MoS₂ nanocomposites. The peroxidase mimicking activity of Cu-Pd/rGO was investigated in more detail, and a glucose oxidase (GOx) based glucose sensor was constructed that is based on the enzymatic formation of H₂O₂ and the Cu-Pd NPs-assisted oxidation of tetramethylbenzidine by H₂O₂ to give a blue-green coloration with absorption maxima at 652 nm. The assay has a 0.29 μM detection limit and a detection range that extends from 0.2 to 50 μM. The method was applied to the determination of glucose in diluted serum samples, and results compared well to those acquired with a clinical analyzer. The method also was applied in a colorimetric paper-based test stripe that can detect glucose within 10 min. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of a sensitive colorimetric glucose assay based on bimetallic Cu-Pd nanoparticles supported on 2D nanosheets, and construction of a paper based device for rapid glucose detection.

Highly Sensitive Detection of Bovine β-Lactoglobulin with Wide Linear Dynamic Range Based on Platinum Nanoparticles Probe

Cow's milk allergy is one of the most frequent and severe IgE-induced food allergies for children, demanding sensitive analytical methods, and β-lactoglobulin (BLG) can be as an important biomarker for detection of milk protein. In this study, a highly sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sELISA) based on a specific polyclonal antibody against human IgE linear epitopes of BLG and an anti-BLG polyclonal antibody-platinum nanoparticles probe was described for detection of BLG. This sELISA exhibited an ultrawide linear range of 0.49-1.6 × 10⁴ ng/mL, covering more than four orders of magnitude. The limit of detection was 0.12 ng/mL, which was 16-fold lower than that using traditional sELISA with the same antibodies. Furthermore, the proposed approach showed high recoveries (93.53%-111.95%) and low coefficient of variation (1.49%-12.50%) after analysis of samples fortified with BLG. The presence of allergenic BLG residues also could be detected in partially hydrolyzed infant formulas. These results, in comparison with conventional and commercial BLG detection sELISAs, highlight that this proposed sELISA could be a reliable and user-friendly tool to monitor trace amounts of BLG and its potentially allergenic residues in foods.

A cobalt-based polyoxometalate nanozyme with high peroxidase-mimicking activity at neutral pH for one-pot colorimetric analysis of glucose

A polyoxometalate (CoPW₁₁O₃₉) with high peroxidase-mimicking activity at physiological pH enables one-pot colorimetric analysis of glucose when coupled with GOx.

Co4N Nanowires: Noble-Metal-Free Peroxidase Mimetic with Excellent Salt- and Temperature-Resistant Abilities

Compared to natural enzymes, nanomaterial-based artificial enzymes have attracted immense attention because of their high stability and cost-effectiveness. In this study, cobalt nitride (Co₄N) as a noble-metal-free artificial enzyme exhibiting highly intrinsic peroxidase-like activity and good stability was reported. Kinetic studies revealed that the resultant Co₄N nanowires (NWs) exhibited a stronger affinity for 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H₂O₂ than HRP. Compared to Co₃O₄ NWs, Co₄N NWs exhibited highly improved catalytic activities, with H₂O₂ exhibiting an apparent K_m approximately 2 orders of magnitude less than that of Co₃O₄. In particular, the peroxidase-like activity of Co₄N was maintained well over a wide range of temperatures and ionic strength. A Co₄N-based method was further developed for the detection of glucose with good sensitivity and reliability. Because of advantages such as easy storage, cost-effectiveness, high sensitivity, and outstanding stability, Co₄N NWs demonstrate the potential for replacing noble-metal-based peroxidase mimetics in a wide range of promising applications.