Monitoring of Endogenous Hydrogen Sulfide in Living Cells Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie (International ed.) Vol. 54; no. 43; pp. 12758 - 12761
• Main Authors: Li, Da-Wei, Qu, Lu-Lu, Hu, Kai, Long, Yi-Tao, Tian, He
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 19.10.2015; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Animals; Azides - chemistry; Cell Line, Tumor; Cells (biology); Glioma - metabolism; Gold; Gold - chemistry; Humans; Hydrogen sulfide; Hydrogen Sulfide - analysis; Hydrogen Sulfide - metabolism; living cells; Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry; monitoring; Monitors; Nanoparticles; nanosensors; Nanostructure; Pathways; Raman scattering; Rats; Spectrum Analysis, Raman - methods; surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy; living cells; nanosensors; hydrogen sulfide; monitoring; surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201505025

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has emerged as an important gasotransmitter in diverse physiological processes, although many aspects of its roles remain unclear, partly owing to a lack of robust analytical methods. Herein we report a novel surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanosensor, 4‐acetamidobenzenesulfonyl azide‐functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs/4‐AA), for detecting the endogenous H2S in living cells. The detection is accomplished with SERS spectrum changes of AuNPs/4‐AA resulting from the reaction of H2S with 4‐AA on AuNPs. The SERS nanosensor exhibits high selectivity toward H2S. Furthermore, AuNPs/4‐AA responds to H2S within 1 min with a 0.1 μM level of sensitivity. In particular, our SERS method can be utilized to monitor the endogenous H2S generated in living glioma cells, demonstrating its great promise in studies of pathophysiological pathways involving H2S. Rapid, selective, and sensitive: The endogenous H2S in living cells can be detected rapidly, selectively, and sensitively using a surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanosensor, 4‐acetamidobenzenesulfonyl azide‐functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs/4‐AA). Based on the rapid and specific reaction between H2S and 4‐AA, combined with the sensitive fingerprinting capability of SERS, the nanosensor can monitor the endogenous H2S generated in a variety of pathophysiological pathways.