Real‐Time Intracellular Measurements of ROS and RNS in Living Cells with Single Core–Shell Nanowire Electrodes

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 56; no. 42; pp. 12997 - 13000
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xin‐Wei, Qiu, Quan‐Fa, Jiang, Hong, Zhang, Fu‐Li, Liu, Yan‐Lin, Amatore, Christian, Huang, Wei‐Hua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 09.10.2017; Wiley-VCH Verlag
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: amperometry; Analytical chemistry; Animals; Biological activity; Biomonitoring; Carbon Compounds, Inorganic - chemistry; Chemical Sciences; Cylindrical shells; Electrochemical analysis; Electrochemical Techniques; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; HeLa Cells; Humans; Intracellular; Macrophages; Macrophages - cytology; Macrophages - metabolism; Mice; Microscopy, Fluorescence; nanoelectrodes; Nanotechnology; Nanowires; Nanowires - chemistry; Organelles; Phagolysosomes; Phagosomes - metabolism; RAW 264.7 Cells; reactive nitrogen species; Reactive Nitrogen Species - analysis; Reactive Nitrogen Species - metabolism; reactive oxygen species; Reactive Oxygen Species - analysis; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Real time; Robustness (mathematics); Silicon carbide; Silicon Compounds - chemistry; amperometry; reactive nitrogen species; reactive oxygen species; nanoelectrodes; phagolysosomes
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201707187
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773

Nanoelectrodes allow precise and quantitative measurements of important biological processes at the single living‐cell level in real time. Cylindrical nanowire electrodes (NWEs) required for intracellular measurements create a great challenge for achieving excellent electrochemical and mechanical performances. Herein, we present a facile and robust solution to this problem based on a unique SiC‐core–shell design to produce cylindrical NWEs with superior mechanical toughness provided by the SiC nano‐core and an excellent electrochemical performance provided by the ultrathin carbon shell that can be used as such or platinized. The use of such NWEs for biological applications is illustrated by the first quantitative measurements of ROS/RNS in individual phagolysosomes of living macrophages. As the shell material can be varied to meet any specific detection purpose, this work opens up new opportunities to monitor quantitatively biological functions occurring inside cells and their organelles. Nanoelectrodes for biology: A facile and robust strategy for the fabrication of high performance nanowire electrodes (NWEs) was developed. The NWEs allowed the measurement of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) within individual phagolysosomes inside living macrophages.