title: BSA-coated nanoparticles for improved SERS-based intracellular pH sensing.
abstract: Local microenvironment pH sensing is one of the key parameters for the understanding of many biological processes. As a noninvasive and high sensitive technique, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has attracted considerable interest in the detection of the local pH of live cells. We herein develop a facile way to prepare Au-(4-MPy)-BSA (AMB) pH nanosensor. The 4-MPy (4-mercaptopyridine) was used as the pH sensing molecule. The modification of the nanoparticles with BSA not only provides a high sensitive response to pH changes ranging from pH 4.0 to 9.0 but also exhibits a high sensitivity and good biocompatibility, stability, and reliability in various solutions (including the solutions of high ionic strength or with complex composition such as the cell culture medium), both in the aggregation state or after long-term storage. The AMB pH nanosensor shows great advantages for reliable intracellular pH analysis and has been successfully used to monitor the pH distribution of live cells and can address the grand challenges in SERS-based pH sensing for practical biological applications.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, ‡The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, and §Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and ∥School of Physics and Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Xiamen University , Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Shan
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zong
authors.forename: Jia-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D053758:Nanoparticles; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman
chemical_list: D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine