Dopamine-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for Colorimetric Detection of Histamine

• Published in: ACS omega Vol. 9; no. 15; pp. 17238 - 17246
• Main Authors: Unabia, Romnick B., Reazo, Renzo Luis D., Rivera, Rolen Brian P., Lapening, Melbagrace A., Omping, Jahor L., Lumod, Ryan M., Ruda, Archie G., Sayson, Noel Lito B., Dumancas, Gerard, Malaluan, Roberto M., Lubguban, Arnold A., Petalcorin, Gaudencio C., Capangpangan, Rey Y., Latayada, Felmer S., Alguno, Arnold C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 16-04-2024
• ISSN: 2470-1343; 2470-1343
• DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c10123

Histamine, a primary biogenic amine (BA) generated through the decarboxylation of amino acids, concentration increases in protein-rich foods during deterioration. Thus, its detection plays a crucial role in ensuring food safety and quality. This study introduces an innovative approach involving the direct integration of dopamine onto gold nanoparticles (DCt-AuNP), aiming at rapid histamine colorimetric detection. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the aggregation of uniformly distributed spherical DCt-AuNPs with 12.02 ± 2.53 nm sizes upon the addition of histamine to DCt-AuNP solution. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra demonstrated the disappearance of the dicarboxy acetone peak at 1710 cm–1 along with the formation of well-defined peaks at 1585 cm–1, and 1396 cm–1 associated with the N–H bending modes and the aromatic CC bond stretching vibration in histamine molecule, respectively, confirming the ligand exchange and interactions of histamine on the surface of DCt-AuNPs. The UV–vis spectra of the DCt-AuNP solution exhibited a red shift and a reduction in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak intensity at 518 nm along with the emergence of the 650 nm peak, signifying aggregation DCt-AuNPs with increasing histamine concentration. Notably, color transitions from wine-red to deep blue were observed in the DCt-AuNP solution in response to histamine, providing a reliable colorimetric signal. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) characterization showed a significant increase in the hydrodynamic diameter, from ∼15 to ∼1690 nm, confirming the interparticle cross-linking of DCt-AuNPs in the presence of histamine. This newly developed DCt-AuNP sensor provides colorimetric results in less than a minute that exhibits a remarkable naked-eye histamine detection threshold of 1.57 μM and a calculated detection limit of 0.426 μM, making it a promising tool for the rapid and sensitive detection of histamine.