Au/Ag Nanobox-Based Near-Infrared Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering for Hydrogen Sulfide Sensing

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is a gaseous signaling agent that has important regulatory roles in many biological systems but remains difficult to measure in living biological specimens. Herein, we report a novel near-infrared (NIR) activated surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanosensor for in vitro and in vivo H 2 S assay utilizing Au/Ag alloy nanoboxes with local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) at 741 nm. This detection is realized by SERS spectrum changes of the NIR probes, which are labeled on Au/Ag nanoboxes under NIR laser irradiation, resulting from the reaction of H 2 S with Ag in the substrate of Au/Ag nanoboxes. Owing to the wellmatching between the incident laser light frequency and the LSPR of the substrates at the NIR region, this SERS nanosensor with a high selectivity and sensitivity can be utilized to monitor the distribution of H 2 S in living cells and zebrafish embryos. Noticeably, the NIR SERS signal is detectable in tissues at depths of up to 12 mm, demonstrating its huge potential in the in vivo studies of pathophysiological processes involving H 2 S.

Surface‐Enhanced Raman Probes Based on Gold Nanomaterials for in vivo Diagnosis and Imaging

“…Based on the LSPR of an Au/Ag alloy nanobox, Wang et al [109] . developed a novel NIR‐activated SERS nanosensor for the detection of H 2 S in vitro and in vivo .…”

“…In vivo Monitored and real-time detection the release of Tribuloside Liu et al [96] AuNRs MDA-MB-435 tumor animal model Imaging analysis of the accumulation and responsive disassembly of NPs at the tumor site Wang et al [80] AuNRs Tumor-bearing mice Recognized MCF-7 breast cancer cells Khlebtsov et al [81] AuNRs Model pig skin Deep tissue imaging Ou et al [8] AuNSs Breast cancer tumors Targeted diagnosis and simultaneous detection Kircher et al [21] AuNSs Glioblastoma-bearing mice In vivo imaging of glioblastoma multiforme Xiang et al [77] AuNSs The mice model of liver fibrosis Diagnosis of liver fibrosis in the early stage Shan et al [107] Au@AuÀ Ag dot-in-cubic nanoframes U87-MG microtumors In vivo NIR-II SERS detection of microtumors Wang et al [108] Gold nanoframeworks Breast cancer xenograft model Image-guided photo-chemotherapy Wang et al [109] Au/Ag Nanobox Zebrafish embryo Monitor the H 2 S concentration in vivo Zhang et al [23] Petal-like shell Au structures The popliteal lymph node High-speed lymph node in situ Raman imaging Feng et al [110] Gold nanobipyramids MCF-7 tumor-bearing mice In vivo SERS imaging of MCF-7 tumor Timely diagnosis and intervention of bone microdamage are very important to prevent accumulation and skeletal fracture. Based on the high sensitivity and non-invasive feature of SERS, Song and Lu et al [88] explored its application in bone crack detection.…”

“…Based on the LSPR of an Au/Ag alloy nanobox, Wang et al [109] developed a novel NIR-activated SERS nanosensor for the detection of H 2 S in vitro and in vivo. The Au/Ag nanoboxes with NIR LSPR can not only be used as SERS substrates for 3,3'diethylthiatricarbocyanine iodide (DTTC) NIR probes, they also respond to H 2 S via the selective etching of Ag in the Au/Ag nanobox substrate (Figure 13).…”

Emergence of Responsive Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering Probes for Imaging Tumor‐Associated Metabolites

“…Regarding H 2 S sensing, a novel Au/Ag nanobox‐based near‐infrared (NIR) SERS nanosensor was designed as a new kind of SERS probe for in vitro and in vivo H 2 S sensing sensitively, selectively, and rapidly. [ 123 ] With the introduction of H 2 S, the reaction between sulfide ions and Ag atoms in the substrate of Au/Ag nanoboxes produced an Ag 2 S complex at room temperature, resulting in significant variation of the SERS spectrum that could be used for H 2 S detection. Notably, this nanosensor was able to detect H 2 S with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 × 10 −9 m in biological systems, showing extremely high sensitivity and great potential for further researches.…”

Simultaneous Detection of Intracellular Nitric Oxide and Peroxynitrite by a Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Nanosensor with Dual Reactivity

“…For example, 3,4-diaminobenzene-thiol as the SERS biosensor can realize the imaging of NO in living cells, 17 and the SERS nanosensor based on the Au/Ag nanobox was designed for the detection of H 2 S in living cells and zebrafish embryos. 26 More importantly, SERS can provide narrow peaks for spectral multiplexing and strong ability for the resistance to photobleaching. 27 These comprehensive features make SERS methods highly suitable for simultaneous detection of intracellular NO and ONOO − .…”