Trap-enhanced SERS nanoarray enables rapid urinary copper detection for Wilson disease screening
Researchers developed a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chip utilizing plasmonic Au@Al2O3-Au-Au@Al2O3 trimer nanoarrays with a molecular trap architecture. Functionalized with trithiocyanuric acid (TA), the platform captures urinary Cu2+ and yields a concentration-dependent Raman shift and band broadening corresponding to the TA-Cu2+ coordination process. The study reports that this design aligns molecular adsorption sites with electromagnetic hot spots, overcoming conventional SERS limitations to improve sensitivity and reproducibility. Investigators found the chip provides a rapid, label-free alternative to invasive biopsies and mass spectrometry for early Wilson disease screening. The platform demonstrates potential for high-throughput metabolite analysis and noninvasive metal ion monitoring in clinical chemistry laboratories.
The original study
Plasmonic trimer nanoarrays with probe-trapping sites for SERS detection of urinary copper in Wilson's disease.
- Authors
- Zhao X, Li G, Chen S, Chen D, Yao L, Wei Y, et al.
- Journal
- The Analyst
- Type
- Journal Article
- PMID
- 42429542
Original abstract
Cu2+ plays a critical role in the onset of Wilson's disease (WD), and precise analysis of Cu2+ levels in human metabolites is essential for early clinical diagnosis. However, existing clinical detection such as organ biopsies and mass spectrometry are costly, complex and unsuitable for rapid screening. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers a rapid, label-free, and noninvasive alternative to conventional assays. Nevertheless, SERS fundamentally depends on highly localized electromagnetic "hot spots", which occupy only a very small fraction of the nanoparticle surface (less than 1%), meaning that only molecules residing within these regions can be effectively enhanced. Herein, we develop a SERS chip based on plasmonic Au@Al2O3-Au-Au@Al2O3 trimer nanoarrays featuring a molecular "trap" architecture. The central Au trap particle possesses selective chemical affinity that guides probes into plasmonic hotspots, enabling spatial overlap between molecular adsorption sites and plasmonic electromagnetic fields and thereby improving SERS sensitivity and reproducibility. When functionalized with trithiocyanuric acid (TA), the nanoarray enables noninvasive detection of urinary Cu2+, exhibiting a concentration-dependent Raman shift and band broadening associated with the multistage TA-Cu2+ coordination process. These findings demonstrate that the trap-enhanced nanoarray provides a rapid, ultrasensitive, and clinically accessible platform for early screening of WD and broader applications in metabolite.