Article
Biophysics
Ditta Ungor, Anna Barbasz, Agnieszka Czyzowska, Edit Csapo, Magdalena Ocwieja
Summary: This study focused on the comparative cytotoxicity investigations of protein-stabilized gold nanoclusters on lymphocytes B and T cells. It was found that gamma G-Au NCs induced the highest disorders in mitochondrial activity, while LYZ- and gamma G-Au NCs enhanced the secretion of malonic dialdehyde. Despite minor effects on cell viability, all Au NCs caused oxidative stress and could stimulate undesirable cellular processes.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yinan Zhang, Zhi-Bei Qu, Chu Jiang, Yingying Liu, Raghu Pradeep Narayanan, Dewight Williams, Xiaolei Zuo, Lihua Wang, Hao Yan, Huajie Liu, Chunhai Fan
Summary: In this research, a new method was developed to fabricate silver nanostructures with three-dimensional chirality using DNA origami-enabled aqueous solution metallization strategy. The study found that the chirality of silver nanostructures can be controlled through synergetic interactions, resulting in the synthesis of helical silver patterns with well-defined chirality and pitches. This method opens up new pathways for synthesizing programmable inorganic materials with arbitrary morphology and chirality.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xinyan Yang, Lihan Wang, Lidong Pang, Shiqian Fu, Xue Qin, Qing Chen, Chaoxin Man, Yujun Jiang
Summary: A novel fluorescent platform based on DNA-stabilized silver nanoclusters has been developed for the simple and sensitive detection of Salmonella Typhimurium using Exo III amplification. The platform utilizes a C-rich loop in the hairpin probe for the synthesis of DNA-AgNCs, with fluorescence changes enabling the detection of S. Typhimurium.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Viveka K. Kulkarni, Behnam Nourmohammadi Khiarak, Shinjiro Takano, Sami Malola, Emily L. Albright, Tetyana Levchenko, Mark D. Aloisio, Cao-Thang Dinh, Tatsuya Tsukuda, Hannu Hakkinen, Cathleen M. Crudden
Summary: Researchers have successfully synthesized a previously unseen N-heterocyclic carbene-stabilized hydrido gold nanocluster and demonstrated its catalytic activity in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Shiqian Fu, Xinyan Yang, Lidong Pang, Shasha Cheng, Danliangmin Song, Xue Qin, Chaoxin Man, Yujun Jiang
Summary: In this study, a novel fluorescence aptasensor was developed for rapid and sensitive detection of Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). The aptasensor exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity, and showed excellent application for detection in artificially contaminated milk.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Maksim Gorbachevskii, Anna Stavitskaya, Andrei A. Novikov, Rawil F. Fakhrullin, Elvira Rozhina, Ekaterina A. Naumenko, Vladimir A. Vinokurov
Summary: Fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) stabilized with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid and supported on halloysite nanotubes modified with aminosilane showed good uptake by A549 human cells. At concentrations of 25-50 μg/mL, the material did not have a pronounced toxic effect but led to massive cell death via apoptosis at 100 μg/mL. This concentration-dependent toxicity mechanism allows for potential applications in bioimaging and cancer therapy.
APPLIED CLAY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Spectroscopy
Herbert Cirrus Kaboggoza, Burcu Bekdeser, Resat Apak
Summary: A fluorescent gold nanocluster was used to determine the peroxyl radical scavenging activity of antioxidants. The addition of glutathione enhanced the fluorescence intensity of the gold nanoclusters, while antioxidants reduced the decline in fluorescence intensity caused by peroxyl radical attack. This method provides a simple and selective estimation of peroxyl radical scavenging activity in complex matrices.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Arpad Turcsanyi, Ditta Ungor, Marek Wojnicki, Edit Csapo
Summary: Fabrication protocol of BSA- and LYZ-stabilized Au/Ag NCs was optimized by adjusting the protein/metal ion ratios, metal concentration, pH, and incubation time. The incorporation of silver into the gold core significantly enhanced the fluorescence properties of the nanoclusters. The stability of the bimetallic NCs during interaction with biocolloids was much higher compared to monometallic derivatives, indicating their potential as fluorescent reporters in biomedical applications.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2023)
Article
Spectroscopy
Juan Fernando Garcia, David Reguera, Andrea Valls, Anna Avino, Arnau Dominguez, Ramon Eritja, Raimundo Gargallo
Summary: This study investigates the use of DNA-stabilized fluorescent silver nanoclusters for the detection of pyrimidine-rich DNA sequences through the formation of parallel and antiparallel triplex structures, using molecular fluorescence spectroscopy. The effectiveness of the formation of triplex structures was evaluated using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, circular dichroism, molecular fluorescence spectroscopy, and multivariate data analysis. The results indicate that the detection of pyrimidine-rich sequences with acceptable selectivity is possible using the approach based on the formation of antiparallel triplex structures.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Riddhi Nagda, Sooyeon Park, Il Lae Jung, Keonwook Nam, Hari Chandana Yadavalli, Young Min Kim, Kyungjik Yang, Jooyoun Kang, Peter Waaben Thulstrup, Morten Jannik Bjerrum, Minhaeng Cho, Tae-Hwan Kim, Young Hoon Roh, Pratik Shah, Seong Wook Yang
Summary: A greater understanding of the interaction between DNA and nanomaterials can provide alternative strategies for designing DNA nanomachines. This study found that the fluorescence of AgNCs encapsulated within DNA can be controlled by pH changes. AgNCs can also act as nanoscale rivets, linking different DNA nanostructures.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yu Chen, Ting Feng, Li Chen, Yiming Gao, Junwei Di
Summary: A signal-on fluorescence method using BSA-Ag30NCs as sensing probe was developed for determination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and glucose, with linear calibration curves obtained for both substances within specific concentration ranges. The enhancement of fluorescence intensity was found to be linearly related to the concentration of each substance, with satisfactory results achieved in the detection of glucose in human serum samples using this method.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yuliang Cheng, Guowen Li, Xiufang Huang, Zhijuan Qian, Chifang Peng
Summary: A label-free fluorescent detection method for glyphosate based on DNA-Ag NCs and a Cu2+-ion-modulated strategy was developed, achieving ultrasensitive detection of glyphosate. The method showed a linear response in the range of 1.0-50 ng/mL with a LOD of 0.2 ng/mL, demonstrating high application potential for glyphosate detection.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yao Li, Xi-Ming Luo, Peng Luo, Qiu-Xu Zang, Zhao-Yang Wang, Shuang-Quan Zang
Summary: The cocrystallization of two negatively charged atom-precise silver nanoclusters, Ag62 and Ag22, in a 1:2 ratio has been reported. Both nanoclusters adopt core-shell structures and were separately obtained by adjusting the synthetic conditions. This work enriches the structural diversity of silver nanoclusters and extends the family of cluster-based cocrystals.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mikkel B. Liisberg, Zahra Shakeri Kardar, Stacy M. Copp, Cecilia Cerretani, Tom Vosch
Summary: This study characterizes the DNA-AgNC with emission around 960 nm in solution and shows its brightness and photostability when embedded in PVA, enabling single-molecule detection. The exploration of DNA-AgNC5 in the NIR II region may lead to promising bioimaging applications with unprecedented signal-to-background ratios and single-molecule sensitivity.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rita Belteki, Loretta Kuklis, Gyongyi Gombar, Ditta Ungor, Edit Csapo
Summary: The potential of amino acids like L-phenylalanine (Phe), L-glutamine (Gln) and L-arginine (Arg) in the preparation of fluorescent molecular-like gold and silver nanostructures is discussed. The effect of synthesis conditions and the molecular characteristics of these amino acids on the structure of the formed products is demonstrated. The optical characterizations of the blue-emitting products, including lifetime and quantum yield (QY%), were carried out, confirming that the fluorescence originates from metallic nanoclusters (NCs).
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yibo Liu, Juewen Liu
Summary: In this study, a new DNA aptamer (UA-Mg-1) for uric acid detection was obtained through a salt-toggled selection method. The aptamer exhibited strong binding affinity and showed metal dependency only on Mg2+ ions. The UA-Mg-1 aptamer was then engineered into a fluorescent biosensor for uric acid detection.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuzhe Ding, Po-Jung Jimmy Huang, Mohamad Zandieh, Jinghan Wang, Juewen Liu
Summary: In this study, the authors compared gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) prepared using different reducing agents and found that citrate-AuNPs and glucose-AuNPs had better DNA adsorption and affinity. Citrate-AuNPs also exhibited higher sensitivity for label-free DNA detection. The authors further investigated the effect of aging on citrate-AuNPs and found that their colloidal stability, DNA adsorption efficiency, and sensing performance decreased gradually. The study highlights the importance of considering the aging effect when using AuNPs in colloidal science and biosensor technology.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Javier Perez Tobia, Po-Jung Jimmy Huang, Yuzhe Ding, Runjhun Saran Narayan, Apurva Narayan, Juewen Liu
Summary: Computer-aided prediction of aptamer sequences has traditionally focused on primary sequence alignment and motif comparison. However, this study introduces a new algorithm that incorporates secondary structure information, combining conserved primary sequences and secondary structures. This algorithm was successfully used in predicting aptamer sequences from two different selections and showed promise in predicting challenging sequences. It provides a novel approach to pattern discovery in aptamer selection libraries and has the potential to shorten selection time and improve applications in biosensors and chemical biology.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Pengbo Zhang, Mohamad Zandieh, Yuzhe Ding, Lyuyuan Wu, Xiaoyu Wang, Juewen Liu, Zhengping Li
Summary: A cationic conjugated polymer (CCP)-based assay was studied for the accurate measurement of concentration of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). The method utilized the fluorescence change of CCPs upon binding ssDNA and achieved a high binding affinity with ssDNA. The developed CCP-based biosensor showed comparable detection limit and better suitability for ssDNA measurement compared to fluorescence-dye-based methods.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huizhen Fan, Jiajia Zheng, Jiaying Xie, Juewen Liu, Xingfa Gao, Xiyun Yan, Kelong Fan, Lizeng Gao
Summary: Nanozymes have great potential as alternatives to natural enzymes, but their practical use is limited by their low catalytic activity compared to natural enzymes. This study employed a surface engineering strategy using charge-transferrable ligands, such as polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), to improve the specific activity of Ru nanozymes. The modified Ru nanozyme exhibited a peroxidase-like specific activity double that of horseradish peroxidase. The modified Ru-peroxidase nanozyme was successfully used to develop an immunoassay with significantly increased detection sensitivity compared to traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Chenqi Niu, Juewen Liu, Xinhui Xing, Chong Zhang
Summary: In this study, a novel strategy was proposed to eliminate the non-specific signal from non-specific amplification by integrating the CRISPR-Cas12a system into two-templates exponential amplification reactions (EXPAR). The developed EXPAR-Cas12a strategy named EXPCas acted as a filter to filter out non-specific amplificons and improved the signal-to-background ratio significantly. With miRNA-21 as the target, the detection could be accomplished in 40 min with a LOD of 103 fM and no non-specific amplification was observed.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Na Wu, Mohamad Zandieh, Ting Yang, Juewen Liu
Summary: The detection of insulin is an important analytical task. Previous studies believed that guanine-rich DNA binds to insulin and a specific insulin aptamer was selected based on this belief. In this study, three different insulin preparation methods were evaluated using fluorescence polarization assays. The results showed that insulin samples containing Zn(2+) did not bind to the aptamer DNA, while insulin monomers and dimers with Zn2+ removed were able to bind. C-rich DNA exhibited stronger binding affinities and faster kinetics compared to the previously reported aptamer. This study provides important insights into the detection of insulin and the binding mechanisms between oligomeric insulin and DNA.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuheng Song, Derek H. G. von Eppinghoven, Yang Zhou, Hanxiao Zhang, Juewen Liu
Summary: This study investigates the adsorption of tetracyclines to gold nanoparticles and its impact on the design of label-free biosensors. The results provide valuable insights into the interaction between tetracyclines and gold nanoparticles, and offer guidance for the development of aptamer-based biosensors.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuzhe Ding, Juewen Liu
Summary: This article introduces a classical DNA aptamer that has been widely used for biosensing, imaging, and DNA nanotechnology. Two separate selections were performed using adenosine and ATP as targets, obtaining two new aptamers with significantly higher affinity compared to the classical aptamer. The new aptamers bind to one target molecule instead of two, and their secondary structures and specific binding were confirmed through mutation studies.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mohamad Zandieh, Una E. Hogan, Rodney D. L. Smith, Juewen Liu
Summary: The wettability of microplastics can change due to surface transformations. This study investigated the adsorption of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) and linear DNA on microplastics to understand their wettability. Soaking microplastics in water for 3 months increased SNA adsorption, while the adsorption of linear DNA remained the same. Reversibility was observed when the soaked microplastics were dried and rehydrated. Heating the microplastics had a similar effect to long-term soaking.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yao Lin, Xueshan Chen, Yuyang Li, Yi Ye, Lin Yang, Linchuan Liao, Yurong Deng, Juewen Liu, Jinyi Zhang, Chengbin Zheng
Summary: A neutral photocatalytic oxidation strategy induced by scandium (Sc3+) was developed for the visual detection of cocaine within 40 s. The strategy was based on G-quadruplex/PPIX and split aptamers, allowing the activation of Sc3+-mediated photosensitization oxidation of TMB.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Hanxiao Zhang, Albert Zehan Li, Juewen Liu
Summary: Using DNA staining dyes for label-free detection of aptamer binding has been done for a long time, but the cationic nature of the dyes can lead to unstable signals and false interpretations of results due to adsorption. This study evaluated the stability of the signal and found that a quartz cuvette provided a more stable signal compared to a polystyrene microplate, and equilibrating the system improved signal stability. The surfactant Triton X-100 was found to have the best protective effect against fluorescence signal decrease due to dye adsorption, and its use improved signal stability for different aptamers.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Tyler S. Lott, Ariel A. Petruk, Nicolette A. Shaw, Natalie Hamada, Carmen M. Andrei, Yibo Liu, Juewen Liu, German Sciaini
Summary: Liquid cell electron microscopy (LCEM) has suffered from reproducibility issues and limited imaging quality over a wide field of view. In this study, a shape-engineered nanofluidic cell architecture and an air-free drop-casting sample loading technique were introduced to overcome these challenges. The presented LCEM method enables high-resolution imaging without bulging membranes, providing lattice resolution and sufficient contrast for observing unstained liposomes in their near native environment.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhen Wang, Man Li, Huaiyu Bu, David S. Zia, Penggao Dai, Juewen Liu
Summary: Biosensors use biomolecules and nanomaterials for target recognition and signal transduction. There are three types of biosensors described in this review: those relying on fluorescent nanomaterials, those based on regulation of catalytic activity of nanozymes, and those using additional signal transduction molecules. Challenges include limited selectivity and susceptibility to interference, while future research opportunities involve mechanistic studies, improving selectivity, and real sample testing.
MATERIALS CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Ka-Ying Wong, Yibo Liu, Liping Zhou, Man-Sau Wong, Juewen Liu
Summary: In order to overcome the limitations of traditional eye drops, researchers constructed a mucin-1 aptamer-functionalized liposome to deliver cyclosporin A for the treatment of dry eye diseases. The aptamer-functionalized liposomes were found to enhance drug delivery and therapeutic efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo experiments.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2023)