Microchemical Journal最新文献

{"title":"Colorimetric detection platforms based on enzyme-mimetic activities of metal (M)-substituted vanadates (MxVyOz): A review of synthesis, mechanisms, and sensing applications","authors":"Fahime Vetr","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recently, rapid and simple analyte detection has attracted consideration among various sensing methods. In this context, enzyme-mimicking chromogenic reactions have emerged as platforms for colorimetric detection of final targets. Nanoscale materials exhibiting enzyme-mimicking properties, called nanozymes, have garnered significant attention as functional analogs of natural enzymes. Nanozymes offer several advantages, including inherent robustness, high catalytic activity, ease of storage, and cost-effectiveness, and can be synthesized using simple and environmentally friendly methods. Among these, metal-substituted vanadium oxides (MVOs), with the general formula M_xV_yO_z (where M denotes a substituting metal), have attracted considerable interest as nanozymes. These materials have shown promise in oxidoreductase-like applications due to their unique crystal structures and the presence of valence-state-rich metal centers. This review demonstrates the catalytic potential of MVOs, highlighting how the coexistence of multiple oxidation states in the metal centers can induce synergistic effects that enhance their enzyme-like behavior. The possible mechanisms of their intrinsic oxidoreductase-mimicking behavior are discussed in the context of chromogenic substrate oxidation. Moreover, recent applications of MVO-based colorimetric nanozyme systems—comprising MVOs, chromogenic substrates, and oxidizing agents—in various fields, including analytical biosensing, food safety, environmental monitoring, and antibacterial treatments, are completely highlighted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115271"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research progress on quantitative detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria based on lateral flow assays","authors":"Yan Pan ,&nbsp;Shijian Liu ,&nbsp;Wenjin Ma ,&nbsp;Xiaoqiong Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoqi Tao","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115237","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115237","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The lateral flow assay (LFA) provides critical technical support for rapid, low-cost, on-site quantitative detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria. This article reviews common strategies for enriching pathogenic bacteria in food matrices and explains the fundamental principles of detecting foodborne pathogenic bacteria using LFA. Furthermore, the article summarizes the quantitative LFA platform for detecting foodborne pathogenic bacteria, such as colorimetry, fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and photothermal effect methods (PTE), along with their recent advancements in bacterial quantification. Finally, the future prospects and challenges of LFA for foodborne pathogenic bacteria detection are discussed. The construction of a standardized production system, the development of low-cost and high-stability materials, the optimization of regulatory pathways, and the innovation of portable intelligent reading devices are expected to promote the large-scale application of LFA in on-site detection and point-of-care diagnosis of foodborne pathogenic bacteria.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115237"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145155128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Green-synthesized nanoparticle-enhanced electrochemical sensors for Pb and Cd ions detection","authors":"Rabiaa Helim ,&nbsp;Hassan A. Rudayni ,&nbsp;Ahmed A. Allam ,&nbsp;Rehab Mahmoud ,&nbsp;Sarra Fafa ,&nbsp;Ahmed F.A. Youssef ,&nbsp;Hany Abd El-Raheem ,&nbsp;Waleed Alahmad","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115255","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115255","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The widespread occurrence of toxic heavy metals, such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd), poses a significant threat to both ecological and human health because of their high toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation. In response to the urgent need for sustainable and sensitive detection strategies, this review critically evaluates recent advances (2015–2025) in the green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) and their correlation with sensor performance. Nanoparticles synthesized via environmentally friendly routes using plant extracts, microbial systems, and natural polymers exhibit tunable physicochemical properties that enhance the sensitivity, selectivity, and detection limits of sensors. We examine the integration of these nanomaterials into electrochemical platforms, focusing on their structural features, synthesis mechanisms, and performance in heavy metal ion detection. Comparative insights into the synthesis approaches and NPs compositions are provided to elucidate the structure–function relationships that dictate the sensing behavior. We also discuss key challenges related to the scalability of green synthesis, electrode stability, and long-term reproducibility. This review concludes with perspectives on the future deployment of green-enabled sensors for real-time, on-site environmental monitoring, emphasizing their potential for sustainable, high-performance solutions in heavy metal detection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115255"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145046941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advancements in sample preparation and extraction techniques for metabolomic analysis of animal fluids","authors":"Ali Baba Eshawu,&nbsp;Tatenda Justice Gunda,&nbsp;Barun Kumar,&nbsp;Shelja Matta","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115259","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115259","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metabolomics has become an extremely valuable tool in investigating biochemical processes in animal disease diagnosis, nutrition, and health. The precision of metabolomic data, however, is heavily dependent on sample preparation and extraction, which are still the most error-susceptible and variable steps in the workflow. Animal biofluids such as milk, urine, plasma, and serum pose especially challenging problems due to their complex protein, salt, and lipid matrices that make it difficult to detect metabolites. This review gives a systematic and critical evaluation of traditional, modern, and mixed extraction techniques, including protein precipitation, liquid–liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, and microextraction-based methods such as SPME, DLLME, and QuEChERS. Mini case studies demonstrate their actual use in animal metabolomics, and provide context-dependent advantages, limitations, and method selection strategies. We also address the expanding role of hybrid and automated systems, including robotic platforms and microfluidics, to enhance reproducibility and scalability for large-cohort research. Analytical platform integration with GC–MS, LC–MS, CE–MS, and NMR is addressed, centring on platform selection criteria and complementary multi-platform approaches. Besides extraction, we address major areas of quality control, standardization, and inter-laboratory reproducibility, and then move to advances in data pre-processing, normalization, and pathway analysis based on bioinformatics. Finally, we touch on translational applications in animal and human disease, and outline future directions that integrate automation, artificial intelligence, and green extraction chemistries. Through the integration of methodological detail with pragmatic case examples, this review at once fulfills state-of-the-art summarization and forward-looking vision and offers pragmatic guidance for optimizing metabolomic investigations of animal fluids.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115259"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145046950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advances in small-molecule fluorescent probes for imaging epilepsy biomarkers: A review","authors":"Yan Rong ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Zhou ,&nbsp;Yuqing Hu ,&nbsp;Xianzhi Chai ,&nbsp;Hai-Hao Han ,&nbsp;Xiao-Peng He","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115238","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115238","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Epilepsy is a common neurodegenerative disorder. Despite the rapid development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for epilepsy, one-third of patients still suffer from a low diagnostic efficiency due to the substantial heterogeneity of this disease. Therefore, it is imperative to create efficient tools to identify biomarkers expressed during different epileptic states, thereby increasing the number of patients that could benefit from surgical intervention. Fluorescent imaging is an efficient, non-invasive, and high-resolution technique that has emerged as a powerful tool for disease diagnosis. Numerous fluorescent small-molecule probes have been designed for the diagnosis of epilepsy. This review summarizes currently identified biomarkers relevant to epilepsy, and highlights fluorescent probes developed to detect these biomarkers. The use of the probes for fluorescence-based imaging of epilepsy in vivo will also be discussed. Finally, this review discusses the challenges of currently developed fluorescent probes in terms of clinical translation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115238"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145046940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multifunctional carbon quantum dots: green synthesis, bright emission, and pathogen suppression","authors":"Kevser Sahin Tiras ,&nbsp;Nurhan Ertas Onmaz","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115232","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115232","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon quantum dots (N, S-CQDs) have emerged as promising nanomaterials due to their excellent photoluminescent properties and potential biomedical applications, particularly in combating antimicrobial resistance and biofilm-associated infections. This study presents the green solvothermal synthesis and detailed characterization of N, S-CQDs using citric acid and <em>N</em>-acetyl-L-cysteine as precursors. Physicochemical analysis revealed strong fluorescence, abundant surface functional groups, almost neutral zeta potential, and good structural stability. Antimicrobial testing showed that the synthesized CQDs exhibited significant activity against various bacterial pathogens (MICs: 4.375–17.5 mg/mL) and <em>Candida albicans</em> (MIC: 35 mg/mL). They also showed strong antibiofilm properties, eliminating mature biofilms by up to 74 % and decreasing biofilm production by 75 % to 85 %. Interestingly, the CQDs retained their optical integrity upon microbial contact, with the emission peak remaining stable across tested microorganisms. The effectiveness of N, S-CQDs as antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents is supported by these findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115232"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145020434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Simultaneous determination of interleukin-6, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-α – A key factor in early prognosis of cardiovascular diseases for obese youngsters","authors":"Raluca-Ioana Stefan-van Staden ,&nbsp;Catalina Cioates Negut ,&nbsp;Roxana Adriana Stoica","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115231","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115231","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cardiovascular diseases became one of the primary causes of mortality for obese young people. Determination of biomarkers such as C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, may contribute to the prognosis as well as to early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. A 3D stochastic microsensor based on single-wall carbon nanotubes decorated with gold nanoparticles and modified with quinine was designed, characterized, and validated for the qualitative and quantitative determination of C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. Wide working concentration ranges were recorded for all biomarkers, while the limits of determination were of 4.1 × 10⁻¹⁵ μg mL⁻¹ for interleukin-6, 5.0 × 10⁻¹⁴ μg mL⁻¹ for TNF-α, and 1.00 × 10⁻²¹ g mL⁻¹ for C-reactive protein, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. The recovery tests shown that the biomarkers were recovered in percentages higher than 99.10 % and RSD% values below 0.03 %.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115231"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145020431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In-situ flexible non-destructive wireless sensing for bagged fruits","authors":"Ruihua Zhang ,&nbsp;Wenjing Zhao ,&nbsp;Maoyuan Yin ,&nbsp;Xujun Chen ,&nbsp;Longgang Ma ,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Zhu ,&nbsp;Xinqing Xiao","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although fruit bagging technology can enhance fruit quality and reduce damage, it poses an obstacle to the direct monitoring of fruit ripeness and quality, creating an urgent need to develop in-situ non-destructive in-bag sensing technologies. This study aims to design and develop an in-situ flexible wireless spectral sensing system (IFWS) based on flexible electronic technology to achieve in-situ, non-destructive, rapid monitoring and accurate sensing of bagged fruit quality. The IFWS fabricates flexible circuit by laser etching Cu/PI film, integrating visible spectral sensor, microcontroller, and other electronic components, which endows the system with excellent flexibility, overcoming the space constraints and surface-fitting challenges faced by rigid sensors in bagged fruit quality inspection. Based on spectral data collected by the IFWS, the MLR model was used to analyze the correlation between the spectral data and bagged fruit quality parameters (SSC, TA, color parameters L*, a*, and b*). The developed model exhibits robust predictive performance, enabling accurate prediction of sugar accumulation (R²cv = 0.865), acid metabolism (R²cv = 0.635), and pigment synthesis (R²cv&gt;0.86). Results from prediction set validation showed that the RPD for SSC prediction was 2.7, with RPD values for color parameters all exceeding 3, confirming the applicability of the IFWS in predicting bagged fruit quality. When deployed in the growing environment of bagged fruits, the IFWS successfully captured dynamic changes in quality during fruit growth from two dimensions (temporal evolution and population variation), validating its predictive efficacy in complex field scenarios. By integrating the MLR model algorithm into the microcontroller, real-time visualization of quality predictions was achieved, further enabling rapid assessment of quality and ripeness of bagged fruits. In summary, the IFWS integrates flexible electronic technology with machine learning algorithms to realize digital quality assessment of bagged fruits, thereby providing critical technical support for the development of precision and digitalization in smart agriculture and holding significant application value for promoting efficient management of bagged fruits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115227"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145020429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A sandwiched PEDOT@Pt-based antifouling electrochemical sensor for real-time monitoring of cells cultured in three-dimensional hydrogel","authors":"Xue-Bo Hu,&nbsp;Yi-Peng Zhang,&nbsp;Zi-He Jin,&nbsp;Yi-Xiao Zhang,&nbsp;Yu-Ling Wang,&nbsp;Xiao-Long Fu,&nbsp;Jun-Tao Cao,&nbsp;Yan-Ming Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115202","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Three-dimensional cell culture has been considered as a powerful tool to achieve the <em>in-vitro</em> investigation that can mimics the cell behaviors and functions in body. With the advancement on this field, the requirements on applying effective identification and quantification strategy for real-time monitoring of cells are becoming more urgently. Therefore, we developed a PEDOT@Pt-based antifouling electrochemical sensor and collagen hydrogel integrated 3D platform. Among the 3D platform, the PEDOT@Pt-based electrochemical sensor presented high performance toward reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide), with a high sensitivity of 176.0 nA/μM in the linear range of 100 nM to 100 μM, and a low detection limit of 43.1 nM. Besides, under the simulated cell culture environment, the electrochemical performance retained up to 70.8 % of the original performance, demonstrating good antifouling property. As a proof of concept, the A549 and HeLa cells were cultured into the 3D platform and the real-time monitoring of cell-released reactive oxygen species were further conducted. More importantly, the reactive oxygen species release behavior of cells under different stimulation were also explored within the 3D integrated platform, which is expected to enable precise biochemical analysis of cells under the <em>in vivo</em>-like microenvironment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115202"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145011159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A molecularly imprinted polymer-based electrochemical sensor for highly selective and sensitive Berberine detection in complex herbal samples","authors":"Yingying Zeng ,&nbsp;Shuangkun Chen ,&nbsp;Lijun Sun ,&nbsp;Quancheng Chen ,&nbsp;Weiliang Zheng ,&nbsp;Yanyun Che ,&nbsp;Ziqin Suo ,&nbsp;Di Wu ,&nbsp;Yunxian Zhou ,&nbsp;Xinyue Wang ,&nbsp;Xuemin Gao ,&nbsp;Qingtan Yan ,&nbsp;Hua Peng ,&nbsp;Qing Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115203","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.microc.2025.115203","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electrochemical analytical techniques are increasingly used to determine active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine due to their rapid response, precision, and high sensitivity. However, the specificity of electrochemical sensors in recognizing target molecules during detection has been suboptimal, limiting their broader use in the analysis of complex herbal medicine samples. To address this issue and enhance the specificity of detection, a novel electrochemical sensor was developed, utilizing molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as the sensor's recognition element for the quantification of Berberine (BBR). Berberine molecularly imprinted polymers (BBR-MIPs) were synthesized with BBR as the template molecule, alongside acrylamide and α-methacrylic acid as bifunctional monomers, facilitating selective adsorption and detection of target molecules. Furthermore, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as sensitizing materials and carriers to modify the glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Under optimized experimental conditions, the sensor demonstrated a wide detection range (1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mg/mL ∼ 0.5 mg/mL) and a low detection limit (2.0 × 10⁻⁸ mg/mL) for BBR. The sensor was characterized by its simplicity, sensitivity, selectivity, and stability, and had been successfully applied to the detection of BBR in real <em>Coptis chinensis</em> Franch. samples. This provided a method with promising application prospects for the rapid quality evaluation of related Chinese medicines and enhanced the reliability of related Chinese medicines and their compound formulas in clinical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":391,"journal":{"name":"Microchemical Journal","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 115203"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145011088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}