G-quadruplex DNAzymes-induced highly selective and sensitive colorimetric sensing of free heme in rat brain

Abstract

Direct selective determination of free heme in the cerebral system is of great significance due to the crucial roles of free heme in physiological and pathological processes. In this work, a G-quadruplex DNAzymes-induced highly sensitive and selective colorimetric sensing of free heme in rat brain is established. Initially, the conformation of an 18-base G-rich DNA sequence, PS2.M (5′-GTGGGTAGGGCGGGTTGG-3′), in the presence of K⁺, changes from a random coil to a “parallel” G-quadruplex structure, which can bind free heme in the cerebral system with high affinity through π–π stacking. The resulted heme/G-quadruplex complex exhibits high peroxidase-like activity, which can be used to catalyze the oxidation of colorless ABTS²⁻ to green ABTS˙⁻ by H₂O₂. The concentration of heme can be evaluated by the naked eye and determined by UV-vis spectroscopy. The signal output showed a linear relationship for heme within the concentration range from 1 to 120 nM with a detection limit of 0.637 nM. The assay demonstrated here was highly selective and free from the interference of physiologically important species such as dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), ascorbate acid (AA), cysteine, uric acid (UA), glucose and lactate in the cerebral system. The basal dialysate level of free heme in the microdialysate from the striatum of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats was determined to be 32.8 ± 19.5 nM (n = 3). The analytic protocol possesses many advantages, including theoretical simplicity, low-cost technical and instrumental demands, and responsible detection of heme in rat brain microdialysate.