Physical vapor deposited zinc oxide nanoparticles for direct electron transfer of superoxide dismutase

Growth of zinc oxide nanowires by a hot water deposition method

Recently, various methods have been developed for synthesizing zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures, including physical and chemical vapor deposition, as well as wet chemistry. These common methods require either high temperature, high vacuum, or toxic chemicals. In this study, we report the growth of zinc oxide ZnO nanowires by a new hot water deposition (HWD) method on various types of substrates, including copper plates, foams, and meshes, as well as on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glasses (ITO/glass). HWD is derived from the hot water treatment (HWT) method, which involves immersing piece(s) of metal and substrate(s) in hot deionized water and does not require any additives or catalysts. Metal acts as the source of metal oxide molecules that migrate in water and deposit on the substrate surface to form metal oxide nanostructures (MONSTRs). The morphological and crystallographic analyses of the source-metals and substrates revealed the presence of uniformly crystalline ZnO nanorods after the HWD. In addition, the growth mechanism of ZnO nanowires using HWD is discussed. This process is simple, inexpensive, low temperature, scalable, and eco-friendly. Moreover, HWD can be used to deposit a large variety of MONSTRs on almost any type of substrate material or geometry.

Influence of Substrate Location and Temperature Variation on the Growth of ZnO Nanorods Synthesized by Hot Water Treatment

Hot water treatment (HWT) is a versatile technique for synthesizing metal oxide nanostructures (MONSTRs) by immersing metal substrates in hot water, typically in glass beakers. The proximity of substrates to the heat source during HWT can influence the temperature of the substrate and subsequently impact MONSTR growth. In our study, zinc (Zn) substrates underwent HWT at the base of a glass beaker in contact with a hot plate and at four different vertical distances from the base. While the set temperature of deionized (DI) water was 75.0 °C, the substrate locations exhibited variations, notably with the base reaching 95.0 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy showed stoichiometric and crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods. ZnO rods on the base, exposed to higher temperatures, displayed greater growth in length and diameter, and higher crystallinity. Nanorods with increasing vertical distances from the base exhibited a logarithmic decrease in length despite identical temperatures, whereas their diameters remained constant. We attribute these findings to crucial HWT growth mechanisms like surface diffusion and "plugging", influenced by temperature and water flow within the beaker. Our results provide insights for optimizing synthesis parameters to effectively control MONSTR growth through HWT.

A Study of the Interface of Gold Nanoparticles Conjugated to Cowpea Fe-Superoxide Dismutase

The iron superoxide dismutase (FeSOD) is a first barrier to defend photosynthetic organisms from superoxide radicals. Although it is broadly present in plants and bacteria, FeSODs are absent in animals. They belong to the same phylogenic family as Mn-containing SODs, which are also highly efficient at detoxifying superoxide radicals. In addition, SODs can react with peroxynitrite, and FeSOD enzyme has already been used to evaluate the anti-nitrative capacity of plant antioxidants. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been shown to significantly improve the functionality and the efficiency of ligands, providing they are properly assembled. In this work, the characteristics of the recombinant cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) FeSOD (rVuFeSOD) immobilized onto AuNPs were investigated as a function of (1) NP surface chemistry and (2) biofunctionalization methods, either physical adsorption or covalent bonding. The NP surface chemistry was studied by varying the concentration of the ligand molecule 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) on the NP surface. The coverage and activity of the protein on AuNPs was determined and correlated to the surface chemistry and the two biofunctionalization methods. rVuFeSOD-AuNPs conjugate stability was monitored through absorption measurements, agarose gel electrophoresis and DLS, enzymatic activity by a colorimetric assay and by in-gel activity assay, and coverage was measured by colorimetric assay. When using physical adsorption, the NP is the most perturbing agent for the activity of the enzyme. In contrast, only the NP coverage was affected by MUA ligand concentration. However, during covalent attachment, both the NP and the concentration of MUA on the surface influenced the enzyme activity, while the coverage of the NP remained constant. The results evidence the importance of the biomolecule and AuNP interaction for the functionality of the hybrid. These strategies can be used to develop electrochemical biosensors for O2•- and for peroxynitrite in biomedical applications.

Etching of AuNPs Through Superoxide Radical Dismutation by Cu-Zn Superoxide Dismutase Resulted in Remarkable Changes of its Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance

BACKGROUND

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are categorized as antioxidant enzymes that are involved in many processes such as stress signalling responses and cell protection against free radical species. The primary function of SOD is the removal of produced radical species like superoxide ions in different physiological processes. There are various isozymes of SODs which are classified according to the metal cofactor in their active sites into four general types of Fe-SOD, Mn-SOD, Cu/Zn-SOD and Ni-SOD. Among metal nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are useful for biological purposes as sensing probe for determining critical analysis based on surface plasmon resonance and colorimetric method. In this study, the human Cu-Zn SOD expressed, purified, and its interaction with AuNPs based on a new colorimetric method was investigated.

OBJECTIVES

In this approach, a colorimetric detection method for SOD activity was developed based on the carboxylic stabilized AuNPs.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The Ni-NTA Sepharose affinity column was performed for the purification process of enzyme. Following SOD purification, the enzyme activity in presence of AuNPs due to the possible etching in the presence of free radicals which are produced by riboflavin, methionine, Na₂CO₃ and potassium phosphate buffer, have been performed. In addition, Fluorescence spectroscopy analysis toward SOD and gold nanoparticle were performed.

RESULTS

Superoxide radicals generated from the enzymatic reaction would preferentially etch AuNPs and resulted in remarkable changes of localized surface plasmon resonance of AuNPs, which is reduced in the presence of SOD. Under the optimized experimental conditions assay (pH~7.8 and 25 ˚C), better selectivity and sensitivity toward SOD activity was shown.

CONCLUSIONS

In this context, an indirect new colorimetric method for determining of SOD activity based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was evaluated. According to the presented result, it may be concluded that by scavenging of free superoxide radicals in the presence of SOD, the amount of AuNP absorbance can be replenished.

Recent advances in ZnO nanostructures and thin films for biosensor applications: review

Biosensors have shown great potential for health care and environmental monitoring. The performance of biosensors depends on their components, among which the matrix material, i.e., the layer between the recognition layer of biomolecule and transducer, plays a crucial role in defining the stability, sensitivity and shelf-life of a biosensor. Recently, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and thin films have attracted much interest as materials for biosensors due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, high isoelectric point, electrochemical activity, high electron mobility, ease of synthesis by diverse methods and high surface-to-volume ratio. ZnO nanostructures have shown the binding of biomolecules in desired orientations with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes ZnO nanostructures suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review highlights recent advances in various approaches towards synthesis of ZnO nanostructures and thin films and their applications in biosensor technology.

A superoxide anion biosensor based on direct electron transfer of superoxide dismutase on sodium alginate sol-gel film and its application to monitoring of living cells

The direct electron transfer of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was greatly facilitated by sodium alginate (SA) sol-gel film with the formal potential of 0.14 V, which was just located between O(2)(•-)/O(2) and O(2)(•-)/H(2)O(2). The preparation of the SOD/SA modified electrode was simple without any mediators or promoters. Based on bimolecular recognition for specific reactivity of SOD/SA toward O(2)(•-), the SOD modified electrode was utilized to measure O(2)(•-) with good analytical performance, such as low applied potential (0 V), high selectivity (no obvious interference), wide linear range (0.44-229.88 μM) and low detection limit (0.23 μM) in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution. Furthermore, it could be successfully exploited for the determination of O(2)(•-) released from living cells directly adhered on the modified electrode surface. Thus, the proposed O(2)(•-) biosensor, combining with the properties of SA sol-gel film, provided a novel approach for protein immobilization, direct electron transfer study of the immobilized protein and real-time determination of O(2)(•-) released from living cells.

Electrophoretic fabrication of chitosan-zirconium-oxide nanobiocomposite platform for nucleic acid detection

The present work describes electrophoretic fabrication of nanostructured chitosan-zirconium-oxide composite (CHIT-NanoZrO(2)) film (180 nm) onto indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-coated glass plate. This nanobiocomposite film has been explored as immobilization platform for probe DNA specific to M. Tuberculosis as model biomolecule to investigate its sensing characteristics. It is revealed that pH-responsive behavior of CHIT and its cationic skeleton is responsible for the movement of CHIT-NanoZrO(2) colloids toward cathode during electrophoretic deposition. The FT-IR, SEM, TEM, and EDX techniques have been employed for the structural, morphological, and composition analysis of the fabricated electrodes. The morphological studies clearly reveal uniform inter-linking and dispersion of hexagonal nanograins of ZrO(2) (30-50 nm) into the chitosan matrix, resulting in homogeneous nanobiocomposite formation. Electrochemical response measurements of DNA/CHIT-NanoZrO(2)/ITO bioelectrode, carried out using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry, reveal that this bioelectrode can specifically detect complementary target DNA up to 0.00078 μM with sensitivity of 6.38 × 10(-6) AμM(-1).