Activity-Based Self-Enriched SERS Sensor for Blood Metabolite Monitoring

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Metabolite monitoring in biofluids is crucial for disease diagnosis but quantitative detection using SERS is challenging due to poor reproducibility.
• Conventional SERS biosensors often require complex multistep synthesis and biofunctionalization of nanoprobes, hindering clinical translation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile and reproducible SERS sensor for quantitative metabolite detection.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional SERS methods by simplifying nanoprobes preparation and detection workflow.

Main Methods:

• Developed an activity-based, slippery liquid-infused porous surface SERS (abSLIPSERS) sensor.
• Integrated biocatalysis-boronate oxidation cascades with SLIPS-driven self-concentration and delivery using naked gold nanoparticles (Au NPs).
• Utilized H2O2 produced from oxidase reactions to oxidize a phenylboronate probe, generating a ratiometric SERS response.

Main Results:

• The abSLIPSERS sensor demonstrated facile quantification of metabolites with high reproducibility, avoiding complex nanoprobes synthesis.
• Achieved a tunable dynamic range exceeding 4 orders of magnitude.
• Successfully quantified lactate, glucose, and choline in human serum for lung cancer energy metabolism studies.

Conclusions:

• The abSLIPSERS sensor offers a simplified workflow and improved reproducibility for SERS-based metabolite quantification.
• This technology holds promise for point-of-care testing of circulating metabolites and clinical translation of SERS bioanalysis.