Portable alkaloid discrimination via nanozyme-mediated colorimetric paper-based sensor array integrated with...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Sensing

Background:

• Alkaloids are crucial compounds with diverse biological activities.
• Accurate identification of alkaloids is vital for pharmacology and traditional medicine.
• Existing methods for alkaloid detection can be complex and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel paper-based colorimetric sensor array for identifying different alkaloids.
• To utilize a new nanozyme, copper cobalt oxide (CuCo2O4), with peroxidase-like activity.
• To create a user-friendly and reliable platform for alkaloid detection.

Main Methods:

• Screen-printing technology was used to fabricate the sensor array.
• CuCo2O4 nanozyme catalyzed chromogenic substrates, inducing color changes.
• Alkaloid identification was based on their varying inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and subsequent color restoration.
• Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was employed for pattern recognition and discrimination.

Main Results:

• The sensor array successfully discriminated five specific alkaloids (berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine, eserine, and harmane) in the range of 0.2 to 20 µM.
• Unique "fingerprint" patterns were generated for each alkaloid.
• The sensor array demonstrated successful discrimination of alkaloids in Chinese herbal medicine samples.
• 22 blind samples were accurately recognized, validating the platform's reliability.

Conclusions:

• A novel nanozyme-based paper sensor array offers a user-friendly and reliable platform for probing alkaloids.
• The developed sensing strategy can aid in identifying AChE-related diseases.
• This technology contributes to the screening of drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD).