A Biomimetic Plasmonic Nanoreactor for Reliable Metabolite Detection

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Metabolite monitoring in biofluids is crucial for disease diagnosis and management.
• Current enzymatic assays lack sensitivity and stability, limiting clinical application.
• Cellular microenvironments inspire strategies to enhance enzyme performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel bio-nanoreactors for sensitive and stable metabolite detection.
• To create an all-in-one system for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based metabolic assays.
• To demonstrate the utility of these nanoreactors for clinical sample analysis.

Main Methods:

• Coencapsulation of oxidoreductase enzymes and metal nanoparticles within macroporous silica foams.
• Fabrication of bio-nanoreactors for confined catalytic environments.
• Utilizing SERS to detect enzymatic by-products for ratiometric signal generation.

Main Results:

• Enhanced catalytic activity and stability of enzymes against temperature, storage, and proteolysis.
• Demonstrated sensitive metabolite quantification via a
• sample in and answer out
• SERS response.
• Successful quantification of glucose in cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with bacterial infections.

Conclusions:

• The developed bio-nanoreactors offer enhanced enzyme performance and sensitive metabolite detection.
• This platform enables quantitative SERS sensing for a wide range of oxidoreductase-dependent metabolites.
• The technology shows significant potential for in vitro clinical testing and diagnostics.