J-aggregate nanotube integrated hydrogel sheets for sensing the release of dopamine from cells

多巴胺是一种重要的神经递质，负责在大脑神经元之间传递信号。多巴胺浓度的波动可引起包括帕金森病在内的多种神经系统疾病。已经开发了几种用于检测多巴胺的分析方法。然而，它们通常是耗时的，涉及多步反应，并且需要昂贵的设备。迄今为止，存在开发用于检测多巴胺的低成本和用户友好的传感器的需求。该项目的目标是开发一种简单，快速，易于使用的传感器平台，用于检测释放剂刺激下神经元释放的多巴胺。 传感器平台将使用由集成在聚合物水凝胶片中的称为“J聚集体纳米管”的纳米管结构组成的光学探针。用于检测多巴胺的传感器平台的高灵敏度是J聚集体纳米管探针的高效光诱导电子转移的结果。该项目将为培养研究生和本科生提供研究机会，包括来自工程，物理科学和生物学跨学科领域的学生。光诱导电子转移通常用于设计生物传感器应用的光学探针。拟议的研究将集中在J-聚集体纳米管的合成与有效的光诱导电子转移字符和集成到聚合物水凝胶片，以制造一个简单而强大的传感器平台，用于原位检测多巴胺从神经元的释放淀粉样β肽刺激。实现上述研究目标的途径包括：利用胆汁酸和具有不同化学结构的菁染料共组装形成J-聚集体纳米管，表征J-聚集体纳米管的极化行为和离域激发长度，通过琼脂糖溶液与纳米管的热诱导凝胶化制备J-聚集体纳米管集成水凝胶片，在存在干扰物质的情况下，测量用于检测水溶液中多巴胺的传感器平台的灵敏度和选择性，以及在淀粉样β肽刺激下从神经元释放多巴胺的原位检测。该研究将有助于从菁染料和胆汁酸的共组装中基本了解J-聚集体纳米管的形成机制和物理性质，这将为合成高灵敏度的J-聚集体纳米管探针提供机会。所提出的传感器平台协同J-聚集体纳米管和琼脂糖水凝胶的特征，可用于原位检测多巴胺从神经元的释放。了解不同释放剂刺激神经元释放多巴胺的动力学，将为释放剂的设计和改善帕金森病的治疗提供依据。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that is responsible for transmitting signals between the neurons of the brain. The fluctuation of dopamine concentration can cause several neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease. Several analytical methods have been developed for the detection of dopamine. However, they are often time consuming, involve multistep reactions, and require expensive equipment. To date, there is a demand for the development of low-cost and user-friendly sensors for the detection of dopamine. The objective of the project is to develop a simple, rapid, and easy-to-use sensor platform for the detection of dopamine released from neurons under the stimulation of releasing agents. The sensor platform will use an optical probe composed of a nanotube structure known as "J-aggregate nanotube" integrated in polymer hydrogel sheets. The high sensitivity of the sensor platform for the detection of dopamine is a result of the highly efficient photoinduced electron transfer of J-aggregate nanotube probes. The project will provide research opportunities for training graduate and undergraduate students including the students from underrepresented groups in the interdisciplinary field of engineering, physical sciences and biology.Photoinduced electron transfer is commonly used in designing optical probes for biosensor applications. The proposed research will focus on the synthesis of J-aggregate nanotubes with efficient photoinduced electron transfer characters and the integration of them into polymer hydrogel sheets to fabricate a simple and robust sensor platform for in situ detecting the release of dopamine from neurons stimulated by amyloid beta peptides. The approaches for achieving the goals of the proposed research includes the use of the co-assembly of bile acids and cyanine dyes with systemically varied chemical structures to form J-aggregate nanotubes, the characterization of the polarization behavior and the delocalized excitation length of J-aggregate nanotubes, the fabrication of J-aggregate nanotube integrated hydrogel sheets through the thermal-induced gelation of agarose solution with the nanotubes, the measurement of the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor platform for the detection of dopamine in aqueous solution in the presence of interference species, and the in situ detection of the release of dopamine from neurons under the stimulation of amyloid beta peptides. The proposed research will aid the fundamental understanding of the formation mechanism and physical properties of J-aggregate nanotubes from the co-assembly of cyanine dyes and bile acids, which will open an opportunity to synthesize highly sensitive J-aggregate nanotube probes. The proposed sensor platform synergizing the features of both J-aggregate nanotubes and agarose hydrogels can be used to in situ detect the release of dopamine from neurons. The understanding of the release kinetics of dopamine from neurons stimulated by different releasing agents will provide the basis for the design of releasing agents and improve therapies for Parkinson?s disease.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.