Target-responsive vesicular nanoprobe for fluorescent detection of lipase

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Biotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Developing sensitive and selective biosensors is crucial for monitoring enzyme activity.
• Carbon nitride nanomaterials offer unique properties for sensing applications.
• Enzyme-responsive materials can provide signal amplification and specific detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fluorescent vesicular nanoprobe for sensitive lipase activity monitoring.
• To leverage the synergistic properties of hollow mesoporous carbon nitride nanoparticles and lipase-responsive polymers.
• To establish a "signal-on" detection mechanism for quantitative enzyme detection.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of nitrogen-deficient hollow mesoporous carbon nitride nanoparticles (HMCNx) via hydrothermal treatment.
• Encapsulation of rhodamine B (RhB) within HMCNx and conjugation with lipase-responsive poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PCL-PEG).
• Self-assembly of the components into a vesicular nanoprobe for fluorescence-based lipase detection.

Main Results:

• The nanoprobe exhibited a low detection limit of 0.5 mU mL⁻¹ and a broad linear range (0.5 to 5 U mL⁻¹).
• Demonstrated high selectivity against common interfering enzymes like trypsin and α-amylase.
• Successfully applied to detect lipase activity in real samples, including milk and skin toner.

Conclusions:

• The developed fluorescent nanoprobe provides a sensitive, selective, and practical platform for lipase activity monitoring.
• This work advances the application of carbon nitride-based nanomaterials in biosensing.
• The enzyme-responsive detection strategy holds promise for various diagnostic and analytical applications.