Triple-mode sensing platform for acetylcholinesterase activity monitoring and anti-Alzheimer's drug screening based on a highly stable Cu (I) compound

Yanting Cai, Yue Li, Yuanyuan Wang, Yihan Xu, Tianyan Chen, Ruisong Xue, Yanmei Liu, Wei Chen, Xiurong Yang, Zhen Liu, Xingfu Bao*, Zhenzhen Huang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and AChE inhibitors play critical roles in the early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Herein, a fluorescence/colorimetry/smartphone triple-mode sensing platform was constructed for both AChE activity monitoring and AChE inhibitor screening by exploring a Cu (I) compound, Cu3I (SR)2 (R = CH2CH2NH2), as a fluorescent probe. In comparison of most other fluorescent probes, Cu3I (SR)2 presented exceptional stability against pH, temperature, UV irradiation, redox agents, and metal ions, as well as good recyclability due to its unique chemical structure. We further found the fluorescence emission of Cu3I (SR)2 could be quenched by MnO2 nanosheet (NS) via inner filter effect, and restored by thiocholine (TCh) generated from the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine iodide (ATCh) in the catalysis of AChE. On this basis, a fluorescence “turn-on” assay was developed for monitoring AChE activity with a detection limit of 0.03 U/L and a detection range of 0.25–50 U/L. This method demonstrates great potential for real-time detection of AChE activity in biological samples and screening of AChE inhibitors obtained from herbal extracts as anti-AD agents. Additionally, Cu3I (SR)2/MnO2 NS sensing system also exhibited a color change from brown to colorless as the increasing AChE activity, which allowed the colorimetric and smartphone detection of AChE activity.

Original languageEnglish
Article number117078
JournalBiosensors and Bioelectronics
Volume271
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2025

Keywords

  • Acetylcholinesterase detection
  • Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor screening
  • Colorimetry
  • Fluorometry
  • Smartphone detection

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Triple-mode sensing platform for acetylcholinesterase activity monitoring and anti-Alzheimer's drug screening based on a highly stable Cu (I) compound'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this