Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2025

04:59
Colorimetric Analysis of Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in S. aureus Biofilm
Published on: April 12, 2019
15.8K
A highly sensitive colorimetric sensing platform based on silver nanocomposites for alkaline phosphatase
Wei-Feng Wang1, Stanislas Nsanzamahoro1,2, Ying Zhang1,2
1CAS Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources, Key Laboratory for Natural Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China. yangjl@licp.cas.cn.
Summary
This study introduces a new colorimetric method using CQD-silver nanoparticles for detecting alkaline phosphatase (ALP). This simple test enables fast and visual evaluation of ALP activity and screening for ALP inhibitors.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is crucial for cellular functions and serves as a biomarker for various diseases.
- Existing methods for ALP detection can be complex or lack sensitivity.
- Developing facile and sensitive detection platforms for ALP is essential for clinical diagnostics and research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sensitive and selective colorimetric sensing platform for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) detection.
- To utilize CQD-silver nanocomposites (CQD-silver NPs) for a novel ALP detection strategy.
- To evaluate the platform's utility in screening for ALP inhibitors.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of CQD-silver nanocomposites (CQD-silver NPs).
- Utilizing the enzymatic activity of ALP to cleave phosphate from ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AA2P) to produce ascorbic acid (AA).
- Observing the aggregation of CQD-silver NPs induced by AA, leading to a color change from yellow to gray, measured spectrophotometrically.
Main Results:
- The CQD-silver NP platform demonstrated sensitive and selective colorimetric detection of ALP.
- The method exhibited a linear response for ALP in the range of 0.1-50 U L⁻¹.
- A low detection limit of 0.035 U L⁻¹ was achieved.
- The platform was successfully applied to screen for ALP inhibitors in goji berry extract.
Conclusions:
- The developed CQD-silver NP-based colorimetric system offers a simple, visual, and rapid tool for assessing ALP activity.
- This sensing platform provides a viable alternative for screening ALP inhibitors.
- The findings highlight the potential of nanocomposite-based colorimetric assays in biochemical analysis.

