Sensitive detection of glutathione by using DNA-templated copper nanoparticles as electrochemical reporters

Herein, a new electrochemical method for the detection of glutathione (GSH) is proposed with the adoption of DNA-templated copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) as electrochemical reporters. The general sensing concept of the method relies on the strong interaction between GSH and copper ions, which would cause great hindrances to DNA-templated formation of CuNPs on the electrode surface, resulting in decreased electrochemical signals. Experimental results reveal that this method exhibits desirable selectivity and reproducibility, and allows absolute detection of as low as 0.27 nM of the target, showing superior sensitivity as compared to previous electrochemical methods. This work may not only provide an effective tool for GSH detection, but also promote the practice of DNA-templated CuNPs in electrochemical biosensing applications, which may be of great attraction in areas ranging from gene analysis, clinical diagnosis and environmental monitoring.