A dual strategy for sensing metals with a nano 'pincer' scavenger for in vitro diagnostics and detection of liver diseases from blood samples

This work presents a dual, non-invasive approach for the detection of elevated level of metals in patients with liver disease. A highly sensitive, small molecule 'pincer' scavenger was synthesized for the detection and quantification of copper in serum and systemically in vivo. For the in vitro diagnostics, the developed technique involves only a routine capillary blood sampling or venipuncture, removing the need for invasive biopsies. The organic scavenger molecule showed high specificity toward copper ions, with a detection sensitivity of 1.35×10^-2μg/L in mouse serum. Furthermore, for the systemic detection of copper in the liver, a polymeric nanopincer has been designed and studied. The small molecule scavengers were stably incorporated into polymeric micelles via its long acyl chains and polymeric micelle proved to be a stable carrier when injected into mice intravenously. The organic scavenger molecule was found to be highly fluorescent and specific toward Cu²⁺ and can potentially help ameliorate diseases regarding accretion of copper in certain vital organs. The strategy and the results provide a novel, non-invasive dual nanomedicine approach for the early detection and treatment of excessive metal deposits in the human organs.