The detection of alkaline phosphatase using an electrochemical biosensor in a single-step approach

Research progress of fluorescent composites based on cyclodextrins: Preparation strategies, fluorescence properties and applications in sensing and bioimaging

Fluorescence analysis has been regarded as one of the commonly used analytical methods because of its advantages of simple operation, fast response, low cost and high sensitivity. So far, various fluorescent probes, with noble metal nanoclusters, quantum dots, organic dyes and metal organic frameworks as representatives, have been widely reported. However, single fluorescent probe often suffers from some deficiencies, such as low quantum yield, poor chemical stability, low water solubility and toxicity. To overcome these disadvantages, the introduction of cyclodextrins into fluorescent probes has become a fascinating approach. This review (with 218 references) systematically covers the research progress of fluorescent composites based on cyclodextrins in recent years. Preparation strategies, fluorescence properties, response mechanisms and applications in sensing (ions, organic pollutants, bio-related molecules, temperature, pH) and bioimaging of fluorescent composites based on cyclodextrins are summarized in detail. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives of these composites in relative research fields are discussed.

Enzymes as indispensable markers in disease diagnosis

Enzymes have been used for disease diagnosis for many decades; however, advancements in technology like ELISA and flow cytometry-based detection have significantly increased their use and have increased the sensitivity of detection. Technological advancements in recombinant enzyme production have increased enzymatic stability, and the use of colorimetric-based and florescence-based assays has led to their increased use as biomarkers for disease detection. Enzymes like acid phosphatase, cathepsin, lactate dehydrogenase, thymidine kinase and creatine kinase are indispensable markers for diagnosing cancer, cardiovascular diseases and others. This minireview summarizes various enzymes used in disease diagnosis, their metabolic role, market value and potential as disease markers across various metabolic and other disorders.

Challenges and Opportunities of Using Fluorescent Metal Nanocluster-Based Colorimetric Assays in Medicine

Development of rapid colorimetric methods based on novel optical-active metal nanomaterials has provided methods for the detection of ions, biomarkers, cancers, etc. Fluorescent metal nanoclusters (FMNCs) have gained a lot of attention due to their unique physical, chemical, and optical properties providing numerous applications from rapid and sensitive detection to cellular imaging. However, because of very small color changes, their colorimetric applications for developing rapid tests based on the naked eye or simple UV-vis absorption spectrophotometry are still limited. FMNCs with peroxidase-like activity have significant potential in a wide variety of applications, especially for point-of-care diagnostics. In this review, the effect of using various capping agents and metals for the preparation of nanoclusters in their colorimetric sensing properties is explored, and the synthesis and detection mechanisms and the recent advances in their application for ultrasensitive chemical and biological analysis regarding human health are highlighted. Finally, the challenges that remain as well as the future perspectives are briefly discussed. Overcoming these limitations will allow us to expand the nanocluster's application for colorimetric diagnostic purposes in medical practice.

Regeneration of dentin-pulp complex: Effect of calcium-based materials on hDPSCs differentiation and gene expression

OBJECTIVE

Dentin-pulp complex is object of interest in the regenerative endodontic field as well as the natural function of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) that may differentiate into specific cells able to repair and/or regenerate both hard and soft dental structures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the capacity of hDPSCs to differentiate in odontoblastic-like cells by evaluating the expression of specific odontogenic-related genes and to prove the ability of treatment with calcium-based materials such as calcium carbonate (CaCO3), calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂), and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA).

METHODS

hDPSCs were obtained and isolated from a third molar of a young patient. Odontogenic-related gene expression was assessed unti1 28 days of culture as well as alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP). hDPSCs were cultured in odontoblastic-induction medium used as control, and in presence of different concentrations of CaCO_3, Ca(OH)₂, and MTA.

RESULTS

The results demonstrated an upregulation in odontoblastic cell-related genes, in particular of the early differentiation marker known as matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein (MEPE), as well as increased ALP activity and the presence of calcium deposits, mainly by stimulation with calcium derivatives. In this regard, treatment of pulp tissue with CaCO₃, Ca(OH)₂ and even better with MTA seemed to be effective for dentinogenesis.

SIGNIFICANCE

The ease of isolation of hDPSCs from discarded or extracted teeth offers a promising source of autologous cells that may be applied for regenerative purpose in combination with selected bioactive materials. However, further investigations should be conducted to confirm the obtained results.

Detection of Periodontal Disease Marker with Geometrical Transformation of Ag Nanoplates

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) are crucial salivary biomarkers for the diagnosis of periodontal disease that harms the periodontal tissue along with tooth loss. However, there has been no way of sensitive and portable detection of both biomarkers in saliva with multivariate signal readout. In this work, we design the multicolorimetric ALP and IL-1β sensing platform based on geometrical transformation of silver nanoplate transducer. By utilizing enzymatic activity of ALP that dephosphorylates p-aminophenol phosphate (p-APP) to p-aminophenol (p-AP), localized surface plasmon resonance properties of silver nanoplate vary with ALP and show a distinct color change from blue to yellow based on a controlled seed transformation from triangular to hexagonal, rounded pentagonal, and spherical shape. The multicolor sensor shows an ALP detection range of 0-25 U/L with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.0011 U/L, which is the lowest range of LOD demonstrated to date for state-of-the-art ALP sensor. Furthermore, we integrate the sensor with the conventional ELISA to detect IL-1β for multicolor signaling and it exhibits a linear detection range of 0-250 pg/mL and an LOD of 0.066 pg/mL, which is 2 orders of magnitude lower than the monochromic conventional ELISA (LOD of 3.8 pg/mL). The ALP multicolor sensor shows high selectivity with a recovery of 100.9% in real human saliva proving its reliability and suitability for the readily accessible periodontal diagnosis with multivariate signal readout.

Recent Advancements in Developments of Novel Fluorescent Probes: In Cellulo Recognitions of Alkaline Phosphatases

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is one of the vital phospho-ester bond cleaving biocatalysts that has inevitable significance in cellular systems, viz., early-stage osteoblast differentiation, cell integrity in tissues, bone mineralization, cancer biomarker, liver dysfunction, cellular osmotic pressure, protein folding and many more. Variation from optimal levels of ALP in intra and extracellular fluids can cause severe diseases, including death. Due to these reasons, ALP is considered as a vital biomarker for various preclinical and medical diagnosis. Fluorescence image-based diagnosis is the most widely used method, owing to its simplicity, robustness, non-invasive properties and excellent spatio-temporal resolution (up to the nM/pM level), as compared to conventional analytical techniques, such as the electroanalytical method, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Most of the reviews reported for ALP’s recognition in the literature scarcely explain the structurally related, photophysical and biophysical parameters; and the sub-cellular localizations. Considering these facts, in order to enhance the opto-analytical parameters of fluorescence-based diagnostic materials at the cellular level, herein we have systematically documented recent developments in the opto-analytical capabilities of quencher-free probes for ALP, used in in vitro (biological buffers) to in cellulo conditions, along with in vivo models.

The activity of alkaline phosphatase in breast cancer exosomes simplifies the biosensing design

This work addresses a biosensor combining the immunomagnetic separation and the electrochemical biosensing based on the intrinsic ALP activity of the exosomes. This approach explores for the first time two different types of biomarkers on exosomes, in a unique biosensing device combining two different biorecognition reaction: immunological and enzymatic. Besides, the intrinsic activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in exosomes as a potential biomarker of carcinogenesis as well as osseous metastatic invasion is also explored. To achieve that, as an in vitro model, exosomes from human fetal osteoblasts are used. It is demonstrated that the electrochemical biosensor improves the analytical performance of the gold standard colorimetric assay for the detection of ALP activity in exosomes, providing a limit of detection of 4.39 mU L^-1, equivalent to 10⁵ exosomes μL^-1. Furthermore, this approach is used to detect and quantify exosomes derived from serum samples of breast cancer patients. The electrochemical biosensor shows reliable results for the differentiation of healthy donors and breast cancer individuals based on the immunomagnetic separation using specific epithelial biomarkers CD326 (EpCAM) combined with the intrinsic ALP activity electrochemical readout.

A portable personal glucose meter method for enzyme activity detection and inhibitory activity evaluation based on alkaline phosphatase-mediated reaction

In this study, an effective and portable method for enzyme activity detection and inhibitory activity evaluation was developed based on the alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-mediated reaction in a personal glucose meter (PGM). In this method, ALP catalyzes the hydrolysis of substrate amifostine (WR-2721) to produce ethanethiol (WR-1065), which can trigger the reduction of ferricyanide (K₃[Fe(CN)₆]), an electron transfer mediator in glucose test strips, to ferrocyanide ([K₄Fe(CN)₆]) and generate a PGM-detectable signal. Thus, WR-1065 can be directly quantified by a PGM as simply as detecting glucose in blood. After being systematically optimized, the method was applied to evaluate the inhibitory activity of ten small-molecule compounds and six Cordyceps sinensis (CS) extracts on ALP. The results showed that adenosine-5-monophosphate and theophylline had high inhibitory activity, but two CS extracts have promotion potency on ALP with the values of -20.7 ± 1.3% and -46.6 ± 2.1%, respectively. Moreover, the binding sites and modes of small-molecule compounds to ALP were investigated by molecular docking, while a new substrate competitor with theoretically good inhibitory activity against ALP was designed by scaffold hopping. Finally, the accuracy of the PGM method for enzyme activity detection was assessed by detecting ALP from milk samples, and the recovery ranged from 87.7% to 116.9%. These results indicate that it is feasible to evaluate enzyme activity and the inhibitory activity of small-molecule compounds and CS extracts on ALP using a PGM based on ALP-mediated reaction. Graphical abstract.

A redox modulated fluorescence nanoplatform for the detection of alkaline phosphatase activity with fluorescent polydopamine nanoparticles

Herein, we simply synthesized intrinsic fluorescent polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) in sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH, pH 11), and constructed a new fluorescence nanoplatform for the detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) using PDA NPs as an effective signal reporter. The nanoplatform was constructed by the combination of enzymatic hydrolysis of ALP to the substrate l-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (AA2P) and the chemical redox reaction between l-ascorbic acid (AA) and mercury ion (Hg2+). The fluorescence of PDA NPs could be effectively quenched by Hg2+ through the coordination effect between Hg2+ and the functional groups on the surface of PDA NPs. However, the quenching effect was greatly inhibited by the addition of AA into the solution. Based on this point, the activity of ALP could be monitored by hydrolysis of the substrate AA2P to AA and the fluorescence output of PDA NPs. The nanoplatform exhibited high sensitivity and desirable selectivity for ALP detection. With a wide linear range of 0 to 18 U L-1, a detection limit of 0.4 U L-1 was achieved using the developed nanosensor. The proposed method could not only be used to screen the inhibitor of ALP but also be used to detect ALP activity in human serum samples successfully. Moreover, the strategy can easily be expanded to determining other kinds of enzymes participating in AA-generation reactions.

Electrochemical Detection and Capillary Electrophoresis: Comparative Studies for Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) Release from Living Cells

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is one of the main biomarkers that is clinically detected in bone and liver disorders using optical assays. The electrochemical principle is important because point-of-care testing is increasing dramatically and absorbance techniques hardly compete with the medical revolution that is occurring. The detection of ALP using electrochemical detection is contributing to the integration systems field, and hence enhancing the detection of biological targets for pharmaceutical research and design systems. Moreover, in vitro electrochemical measurements use cost effective materials and simple techniques. Graphite screen-printed electrodes and linear sweep voltammetry were used to optimize the electrochemistry of the enzymatic product p-aminophenol using the enzyme kinetic assay. ALP release from embryonic and cancer cells was determined from adhesion cell culture. Additionally, capillary electrophoresis and colorimetric methods were applied for comparison assays. The resulting assays showed a dynamic range of ALP ranging from 1.5 to 1500 U/L, and limit of detection of 0.043 U/L. This was achieved by using 70 μL of the sample and an incubation time of 10 min at an optimal substrate concentration of 9.6 mM of p-aminophenol phosphate. A significant difference (p < 0.05) was measured between the absorbance assays. This paper demonstrates the advantages of the electrochemical assay for ALP release from cells, which is in line with recent trends in gene expression systems using microelectrode array technologies and devices for monitoring electrophysiological activity.

Fluorescent nanosensor forin situdetection of phosphate and alkaline phosphatase in mice with parathyroid dysfunction

A composite nanosensor based on Zr(iv)-MOFs and PNPP was developed, which successfully applied for thein situfluorescence imaging of phosphate and ALP levels in mice with parathyroid dysfunction.

Overview of Optical and Electrochemical Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) Biosensors: Recent Approaches in Cells Culture Techniques

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which catalyzes the dephosphorylation process of proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules, can be found in a variety of tissues (intestine, liver, bone, kidney, and placenta) of almost all living organisms. This enzyme has been extensively used as a biomarker in enzyme immunoassays and molecular biology. ALP is also one of the most commonly assayed enzymes in routine clinical practice. Due to its close relation to a variety of pathological processes, ALP's abnormal level is an important diagnostic biomarker of many human diseases, such as liver dysfunction, bone diseases, kidney acute injury, and cancer. Therefore, the development of convenient and reliable assay methods for monitoring ALP activity/level is extremely important and valuable, not only for clinical diagnoses but also in the area of biomedical research. This paper comprehensively reviews the strategies of optical and electrochemical detection of ALP and discusses the electrochemical techniques that have been addressed to make them suitable for ALP analysis in cell culture.

Near-infrared mito-specific fluorescent probe for ratiometric detection and imaging of alkaline phosphatase activity with high sensitivity

A NIR ratiometric fluorescent probe based on cyanine dye was developed for detecting and intracellular imaging of ALP activity with high sensitivity.

Naked-eye sensitive detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and pyrophosphate (PPi) based on a horseradish peroxidase catalytic colorimetric system with Cu(ii)

In this paper, a novel colorimetric method for the detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and pyrophosphate (PPi) was designed based on a Cu²⁺–horseradish peroxidase (HRP)–3,3′,5,5′-tetra-methylbenzidine (TMB)–H₂O₂ system.

Carbon quantum dots-based recyclable real-time fluorescence assay for alkaline phosphatase with adenosine triphosphate as substrate

A convenient, reliable, and highly sensitive real-time assay for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in the continuous and recyclable way is established on the basis of aggregation and disaggregation of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) through the competitive assay approach. CQDs and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were used as the fluorescent indicator and substrate for ALP activity assessment, respectively. Richness of carboxyl groups on the surface of CQDs enables their severe aggregation triggered by cerium ions, which results in effective fluorescence quenching. Under the catalytic hydrolysis of ALP, ATP can be rapidly transformed to phosphate ions. Stronger affinity of phosphate ions to cerium ions than carboxyl groups is taken advantage of to achieve fluorescence recovery induced by redispersion of CQDs in the presence of ALP and ATP. Quantitative evaluation of ALP activity in a broad range from 4.6 to 383.3 U/L with the detection limit of 1.4 U/L can be realized in this way, which endows the assay with high enough sensitivity for practical detection in human serum. The assay can be used in a recyclable way for more than three times since the generated product CePO4 as a precipitate can be easily removed from the standard assay system. This strategy broadens the sensing application of fluorescent CQDs with excellent biocompatibility and provides an example based on disaggregation in optical probe development.

A sensitive dual colorimetric and fluorescence system for assaying the activity of alkaline phosphatase that relies on pyrophosphate inhibition of the peroxidase activity of copper ions

A novel and highly sensitive optical assay for the accurate determination of alkaline phosphatase activity is developed by utilizing the peroxidase activity of Cu²⁺ ions.

Integration of biosensors and drug delivery technologies for early detection and chronic management of illness

Recent advances in biosensor design and sensing efficacy need to be amalgamated with research in responsive drug delivery systems for building superior health or illness regimes and ensuring good patient compliance. A variety of illnesses require continuous monitoring in order to have efficient illness intervention. Physicochemical changes in the body can signify the occurrence of an illness before it manifests. Even with the usage of sensors that allow diagnosis and prognosis of the illness, medical intervention still has its downfalls. Late detection of illness can reduce the efficacy of therapeutics. Furthermore, the conventional modes of treatment can cause side-effects such as tissue damage (chemotherapy and rhabdomyolysis) and induce other forms of illness (hepatotoxicity). The use of drug delivery systems enables the lowering of side-effects with subsequent improvement in patient compliance. Chronic illnesses require continuous monitoring and medical intervention for efficient treatment to be achieved. Therefore, designing a responsive system that will reciprocate to the physicochemical changes may offer superior therapeutic activity. In this respect, integration of biosensors and drug delivery is a proficient approach and requires designing an implantable system that has a closed loop system. This offers regulation of the changes by means of releasing a therapeutic agent whenever illness biomarkers prevail. Proper selection of biomarkers is vital as this is key for diagnosis and a stimulation factor for responsive drug delivery. By detecting an illness before it manifests by means of biomarkers levels, therapeutic dosing would relate to the severity of such changes. In this review various biosensors and drug delivery systems are discussed in order to assess the challenges and future perspectives of integrating biosensors and drug delivery systems for detection and management of chronic illness.

Enzymatic determination of diglyceride using an iridium nano-particle based single use, disposable biosensor

A single use, disposable iridium-nano particle contained biosensor had been developed for the determination of diglyceride (DG). In this study hydrogen peroxide, formed through the enzymatic breakdown of DG via lipase, glycerol kinase and glycerol 3-phosphate oxidase, was electrochemically oxidized at an applied potential of +0.5 V versus the Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The oxidation current was then used to quantify the diglyceride concentration. Optimum enzyme concentrations and the surfactant loading used were established for successful sensor response. Good linear performance was observed over a DG concentration range of 0 to 25 μM in phosphate buffer and bovine serum media.