A peptide nanofibrous indicator for eye-detectable cancer cell identification

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Chemical Biology
• Cancer Diagnostics

Background:

• Sialyl Lewis X tetrasaccharide is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma.
• Early detection of liver cancer is crucial for patient outcomes.
• Current diagnostic methods can be invasive or require specialized equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel peptide nanofibrous indicator (NFI) for specific detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.
• To create a visual detection method for cancer cells that is easily observable.
• To establish a new platform for cancer cell identification.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a peptide nanofibrous indicator (NFI) by mixing a borono-peptide with alizarin red S.
• Utilizing binding and self-assembly processes for indicator formation.
• Assessing the NFI's response to sialyl Lewis X tetrasaccharide and HepG2 cells.

Main Results:

• The NFI showed an intense response to sialyl Lewis X tetrasaccharide.
• The NFI specifically recognized human hepatocellular liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells.
• A strong binding-induced displacement resulted in an eye-detectable color change.

Conclusions:

• The developed NFI enables specific and visual detection of HCC cells.
• This technique offers a simple, unaided eye method for cancer cell identification.
• The NFI presents an innovative platform for accessible cancer diagnostics.