ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Osmium nanozyme-based colorimetric assay for pyruvic acid and alanine aminotransferase detection

Jin-Cheng Chen, Feng-Lin Lin, Yin-Feng Xiao, Jian-Qing Liu, Qiao-Ling Liu, Qiu-Xia Xu, Yin Zhang, and Shao-Bin He

Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, China

E-mail: zyin1973@163.com

Received: 26 March 2025  Accepted: 30 June 2025

Abstract:

Detecting pyruvic acid and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is crucial for diagnosing and managing clinical conditions. Pyruvic acid plays a vital role in metabolic pathways and is linked to metabolic disorders, diabetes, and cancer, while ALT, primarily found in the liver, serves as a critical indicator of hepatic function and damage. Accurate monitoring of these biomarkers is essential for early diagnosis, tracking disease progression, and evaluating therapeutic interventions, with convenient detection methods also facilitating home-based monitoring. Herein, we report the novel application of a previously described BSA-Os nanozyme as the foundation for a cost-effective colorimetric sensing platform. Leveraging its intrinsic peroxidase-like activity, the BSA-Os nanozyme catalyzes hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) to generate hydroxyl radicals, which oxidize 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to its blue oxidized form (ox-TMB), detectable at 652 nm. For ALT detection, the enzyme catalyzes the reaction of α-ketoglutarate and L-alanine to produce pyruvate, which is subsequently oxidized by pyruvate oxidase to generate H₂O₂, initiating the same BSA-Os/TMB colorimetric cascade. The method demonstrated a detection range of 2–200 μM for pyruvic acid, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 208.55 nM, and 10–125 U/L for ALT, with a LOD of 6.4 U/L. The platform was successfully applied to human serum samples, for pyruvic acid detection, the relative standard deviation (RSD) was < 3.43%, and recoveries varied from 101.2% to 106.5%, while for ALT detection, the RSD was < 4.03% and recoveries varied from 90.8% to 96.1%, demonstrating good accuracy and precision. This study highlights the promising potential of BSA-Os in clinical diagnostics, offering a reliable and cost-effective tool for monitoring pyruvic acid and ALT, facilitating early disease detection, personalized treatment, improved patient outcomes, and supporting home-based monitoring for patient convenience.

Keywords: Osmium; Nanozyme; Peroxidase-like; Colorimetric assay; Pyruvic acid; Alanine aminotransferase

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04230-1

Chemical Papers 79 (10) 6879–6885 (2025)