Analytical Chemistry · Jun 15, 2026

Activatable Fluorescent Nanoprobe for Simultaneous Detection of β-Galactosidase and Peroxynitrite to Predict Early Atherosclerotic Plaques

By Gu X, Li Y, Xia X et al.

The vicious cycle of oxidative stress and cellular senescence is closely associated with the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Targeting the vicious cycle of "oxidative stress-cell senescence" as a combined biological target for atherosclerosis and developing dual-functional probes holds significant importance for the early monitoring and risk assessment of this disease. Therefore, fluorescent nanoprobe GL-1-NPs, capable of simultaneously imaging the aging markers β-galactosidase (β-gal) and peroxynitrite (ONOO⁻) were synthesized via nanoprecipitation. GL-1-NPs serve as a live-cell imaging tool that enables effective monitoring of changes in β-gal activity and ONOO⁻ levels during the formation process of foam cells. Notably, in the aortas of ApoE-/- mice fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks, traditional methods such as Oil Red O staining and immunofluorescence revealed no plaque formation or upregulation of the associated proteins CD36 and CD68. Whereas, GL-1-NPs successfully detected enhanced fluorescence signals in the β-gal and ONOO⁻ channels, highlighting their potential for achieving early warning of atherosclerosis.

doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.6c02314PubMed 42298956Biomarkers