High-fidelity optical platform for multiplex glutathione profiling links redox dynamics to tumor progression and auxiliary diagnosis

Abstract

Gastric cancer, a leading global cause of tumor-related mortality, demands potent biomarkers and robust analytical technologies to reduce the clinical burden. Here, a dual-mode ratiometric optical sensor paired with a portable smartphone-based reader was developed for glutathione (GSH). This work reveals, for the first time, the molecular mechanism behind the responsibility and selectivity of tetraphenylporphyrin tetrasulfonic acid (TPPS) to GSH. This high-fidelity character eliminates cross-interference from competing thiols and mitigates the inherent susceptibility of TPPS to transition metals by strategic masking agents. The sensor exhibits a dose-sensitive response to GSH from 0 to 200 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.75 μM. Following validation with pharmaceutical samples and cellular assays, the platform was translated into clinical research for tumor progression and auxiliary diagnosis. By cohorts of gastric cancer and health control, a multivariate model linking clinical signatures with GSH levels was established, which reveals significant correlations between GSH and tumor size, tumor infiltration, and nutritional status. Further developed diagnostic model combining GSH and pepsinogen II (PGII) yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.986 for distinguishing cancer patients from healthy controls. These studies highlight applicability of GSH-based optical sensing in precision oncology for clinical management of gastric cancer.