Unraveling the role of hydrogen peroxide in α-synuclein aggregation using an ultrasensitive nanoplasmonic probe

Anal Chem. 2015 Feb 3;87(3):1968-73. doi: 10.1021/ac5043895. Epub 2015 Jan 23.

Abstract

Aggregation of α-Synuclein (α-Syn) in Lewy bodies is largely responsible for the demise and death of dopamine neurons. Oxidative stress associated with the aggregation-induced oxidative damage is considered as a possible origin of the toxicity. However, the cellular mechanism of H2O2 in the aggregation of α-Syn remains a debate, i.e., whether the aggregation is caused by endogenously secreted or exogenous H2O2 from upstream. Here, we report on the development of an ultrasensitive plasmonic assay with a designed nanoplasmonic probe to unravel the role of H2O2 in the aggregation of α-Syn. The nanoplasmonic probe is composed of a Au nanoparticle with surface-attached double-stranded DNA and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In the presence of H2O2, HRP initiates the polymerization of aniline, which in turn results in the in situ formation of a layer of conducting polymer on the nanoplasmonic probe. By monitoring the associated plasmonic response, we can sensitively detect H2O2 with a remarkably low detection limit of 8 nM. With this ultrasensitive plasmonic assay, we find that exogenous H2O2 plays a dominant role for the aggregation of α-Syn in vitro, whereas the contribution from endogenously secreted H2O2 is negligible.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aniline Compounds / chemistry
  • DNA / chemistry*
  • Gold / chemistry*
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Horseradish Peroxidase / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / analysis
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / metabolism*
  • Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Parkinson Disease / metabolism
  • Polymerization
  • Protein Aggregation, Pathological / metabolism*
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance / methods*
  • alpha-Synuclein / chemistry
  • alpha-Synuclein / metabolism*

Substances

  • Aniline Compounds
  • alpha-Synuclein
  • Gold
  • DNA
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Horseradish Peroxidase
  • aniline