An enzymatic cleavage-triggered minimally invasive nanosensor for urine-based detection of early atherosclerosis

  • Sci Adv. 2025 Mar 14;11(11):eadu7614. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adu7614.
Zhina Wu  1  2 ,  Rui Liu  3 ,  Jianai Chen  3 ,  Xueying Cai  3 ,  Jingzheng Yi  4 ,  Jiasi Wang  5 ,  Di Wang  3  6 ,  Min Hu  1  2
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Orthodontics, Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
  • 2. Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Tooth Development and Bone Remodeling, Changchun 130021, China.
  • 3. School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China.
  • 4. Western Dental, Fresno, CA, USA.
  • 5. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China.
  • 6. Engineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin 130118, China.
PMID: 40085714 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adu7614
Abstract

Timely detection of early atherosclerosis (AS) is crucial for improving cardiovascular outcomes, creating a growing demand for diagnostic tools that are simple, sensitive, and cost-effective. Here, we introduce a synthetic nanosensor for early AS detection that leverages the fluorescence and renal clearance properties of carbon quantum dots (CQDs). This nanosensor, designed to respond to the proteolytic activity of AS-associated dysregulated Enzymes, entails CQDs as signal reporters to convert AS-associated proteolytic activity to fluorometric readings enabling a sensitive and cost-effective urine-based assay for early AS detection. Our findings demonstrated that the nanosensor provided distinct signals in atherosclerotic versus healthy mice at early AS stages, indicating its diagnostic potential. Moreover, toxicity tests showed no notable adverse effects, supporting its safety for diagnostic applications. This minimally invasive diagnostic approach could facilitate personalized therapy design and continuous efficacy assessment. It is expected that such a modular nanosensor platform can be integrated with simple urine tests to offer cost-effective detection of various diseases.

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