Sensitive and selective detection of glutathione based on resonance light scattering using sensitive gold nanoparticles as colorimetric probes

Abstract

In this paper, we reported the development of a highly sensitive and selective resonance light scattering (RLS) technique for glutathione using gold nanoparticle probes. The assay relies upon the distance-dependent optical properties of gold nanoparticles, the self-assembly of glutathione on gold nanoparticles, and the interaction of a 2 : 1 glutathione–Cu²⁺ complex. In the presence of Cu²⁺, glutathione could rapidly induce the aggregation of gold nanoparticles, thereby resulting in greatly enhanced RLS intensity and red-to-blue (or purple) color change. The concentration of glutathione can be determined by the naked eye or a fluorescence spectrometer. Under the optical conditions, the detection of glutathione can be finished within 20 min, and the detection limit of 10 nM can be reached. The concentration range of the probe is 40–280 nM. The proposed method holds a specific selectivity toward glutathione and it is applied to the detection of glutathione in human serum with satisfactory results. In addition, the assay shows great potential application for disease-associated biomarkers, and it will meet the great demand for amino acid determination in fields such as food processing, biochemistry, pharmaceutical, and clinical analysis.