Electrochemiluminescence sensor for point-of-care detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids

Yi Xiao; Haomin Yi; Guofang Wang; Suhua Chen; Xiang Li; Qinyu Wu; Siyi Zhang; Kexin Deng; Yisheng He; Xiaoping Yang

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123645

Electrochemiluminescence sensor for point-of-care detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids

Talanta. 2022 Nov 1:249:123645. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123645. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Authors

Yi Xiao¹, Haomin Yi², Guofang Wang², Suhua Chen³, Xiang Li², Qinyu Wu², Siyi Zhang², Kexin Deng², Yisheng He⁴, Xiaoping Yang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan Province, Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China; John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
² Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan Province, Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.
³ Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
⁴ School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: yshe@link.cuhk.edu.hk.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan Province, Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China. Electronic address: Xiaoping.Yang@hunnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35700647
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123645

Abstract

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) and PA N-oxides are hepatotoxic natural products, produced by over 6000 plant species worldwide. However, an unmet need remains for confirmative measurement of PAs in routine clinical tests. Here, we develop a visual, easy-to-use, and economic mesoporous silica-electrochemiluminescence (MPS-ECL) sensor for point-of-care (POC) testing of PAs, utilizing MPS's amplification effect on positive ions. The relationship between PAs' different structures and corresponding Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ ECL activity shows that reaction mechanism, stability of intermediate, molecular geometry and alternative anodic reactivity significantly affect the ECL activity. The ECL intensity varies among different PAs: monocrotaline _˃ senecionine N-oxide _˃ retrorsine _˃ senkirkine. The POC sensors possess excellent linearity (0.9993 > R² > 0.9944), low detection limits (0.02 μM-0.07 μM), and good recoveries (90.12%-105.93%), indicating good accuracy and practicability. The portable and low-cost sensor is user-friendly, which holds promise to be applied to POC testing of PAs in drugs, food products, and clinical samples, which is promising for initial assessments of PA-induced health risk.

Keywords: ECL activity; Electrochemiluminescence; Mesoporous silica; Point-of-care sensor; Pyrrolizidine alkaloids; Structure.

MeSH terms

Monocrotaline
Oxides / chemistry
Point-of-Care Systems*
Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids* / chemistry
Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids* / pharmacology

Substances

Oxides
Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
Monocrotaline