Colorimetric determination of tyrosinase activity and high-throughput screening of inhibitors based on in-situ formation of gold nanoparticles
摘要
A colorimetric method is presented for detecting tyrosinase activity and screening inhibitors, leveraging the in-situ formation of gold nanoparticles mediated by catechol. The active tyrosinase converses catechol into o-quinone leading to changes in both the size of AuNPs and their corresponding UV–Vis absorption spectrum as well as visual color. This enzyme-mediated alteration can be modulated by tyrosinase inhibitors through chemical regulation of enzyme activity. Based on these, facile detection of tyrosinase and high-throughput screening for its inhibitors can be achieved simply by visually observing color changes in solution. The proposed method is characterized by its sensitivity, simplicity, rapidity, and accuracy, allowing for quantitative determination of tyrosinase within the range 0.5 to 25 U/mL, with a detection limit of 0.038 U/mL. Furthermore, visual or instrumental observation of the color changes in gold nanoparticles enables high-throughput screening of inhibitors and calculation of their IC50 values. We anticipate that this approach will significantly contribute to tyrosinase research and facilitate the development, discovery, and high-throughput screening of effective inhibitors.
Graphical Abstract