Subtle Hydrophobicity-Triggered Vesicle Modulation for Label-Free Rapid Detection of Native Fatty Acids and Steroids

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Detecting fatty acids (FAs) and steroids is challenging due to their similar properties.
• Conventional methods like GC-MS are complex, costly, and time-consuming, often requiring derivatization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel sensing platform for rapid and precise detection of hydrophobic bioanalytes.
• To overcome the limitations of existing analytical techniques for fatty acids and steroids.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a gemini lipidoid (GL) that self-assembles upon triggering by hydrophobic molecules.
• Optical monitoring of vesicle formation changes to detect hydrophobic analytes.
• Application in complex matrices like human serum.

Main Results:

• The GL sensor efficiently differentiates fatty acids based on chain length, unsaturation, and cis-trans isomers without chemical modification.
• Successful detection of hydrophobic bioanalytes in complex serum media.
• Demonstrated potential for assessing trans fatty acid contamination in edible oils and analyzing lipid profiles of drug-resistant bacteria.

Conclusions:

• The developed gemini lipidoid sensing platform offers a sensitive, rapid, and pretreatment-free method for detecting hydrophobic molecules.
• This technology has broad potential in clinical diagnostics, food quality control, and microbiological research.
• The system enables hypothesis-free screening of various hydrophobic biomolecules using optical signals.