Biothiol Xenon MRI Sensor Based on Thiol-Addition Reaction.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Chemical Biology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Biothiols (cysteine, homocysteine, glutathione) are crucial for biological functions.
• Real-time biodistribution data of biothiols can aid disease diagnosis.
• Current biothiol detection methods are invasive and require complex assays.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel molecular biosensor for biothiol detection.
• To enable real-time, non-invasive monitoring of biothiol biodistribution.
• To discriminate between different biothiols using a unique detection mechanism.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nuclear spin resonance of Xenon-129 ((129)Xe).
• Designed a biosensor comprising a cryptophane cage with an encapsulated (129)Xe atom and an acrylate group.
• Employed a thiol-addition reaction for covalent bonding of biothiols to the biosensor.
• Analyzed chemical shift and average reaction rates for biothiol discrimination.

Main Results:

• The (129)Xe biosensor successfully detected biothiols.
• Achieved discrimination between cysteine, homocysteine, and glutathione.
• Demonstrated detection sensitivity down to 10 μM in a single scan.
• Applied the biosensor for biothiol detection in a bovine serum solution.

Conclusions:

• The developed (129)Xe biosensor is a promising tool for non-invasive biothiol detection.
• Enables real-time imaging of biothiol distributions.
• Offers potential for improved diagnostics and understanding of biological processes involving biothiols.