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Enzymes

Breakthrough in Detecting Helicobacter Pylori Infection Using pH-Responsive Nano-Enzymatic SERS Sensor

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers in Nantong, China, have developed a novel sensor that can accurately and sensitively detect Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection by detecting the concentration of urease in saliva. This groundbreaking discovery has the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis of H. pylori infection, a common cause of peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. The sensor, based on pH-responsive nano-enzymatic surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), can detect the presence of urease in saliva samples from healthy individuals and H. pylori patients with high accuracy.

Key Takeaways:

  • The pH-responsive nano-enzymatic SERS sensor uses assembled nano-enzymatic gold core-palladium shell nanorods (Au@Pd NRs) to catalyze the oxidation of 3,3 ',5,5 '-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to produce oxidized TMB (ox-TMB) with a strong SERS signal.
  • The sensor can detect the concentration of urease in saliva samples with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 6.09 U L-1 and can complete the detection process within 15 minutes.
  • The diagnostic efficacy of the sensor was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.959, indicating promising results for clinical diagnosis.
  • The study concluded that the sensor can detect H. pylori infection with high accuracy and has the potential to be used in real-world clinical settings.
  • The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province.

Statistics:

  • LOD: 6.09 U L-1
  • Detection time: 15 minutes
  • Area under the ROC curve (AUC): 0.959
  • Urease concentration detected in saliva samples: 6.09 U L-1

Sources:

  • Capillary-based Ph-responsive Nano-enzymatic SERS Sensors for the Diagnosis of helicobacter Pylori . RSC Advances, 2025;15(42):35099-35108.
  • Investigators at Department of Gastroenterology Report Findings in Helicobacter pylori (Capillary-based Ph-responsive Nano-enzymatic Sers Sensors for the Diagnosis of helicobacter Pylori ). Nanotechnology Weekly. October 20, 2025; p 541.

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