MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as key regulators in gene expression networks, have participated in many biological processes, including cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis, indicative of potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. To tackle the low abundance of miRNAs in a single cell, we have developed programmable nanodevices with MNAzymes to realize stringent recognition and in situ amplification of intracellular miRNAs for multiplexed detection and controlled drug release. As a proof of concept, miR-21 and miR-145, respectively up- and down-expressed in most tumor tissues, were selected as endogenous cancer indicators and therapy triggers to test the efficacy of the photothermal nanodevices. The sequence programmability and specificity of MNAzyme motifs enabled the fluorescent turn-on probes not only to sensitively profile the distributions of miR-21/miR-145 in cell lysates of HeLa, HL-60, and NIH 3T3 (9632/0, 14147/0, 2047/421 copies per cell, respectively) but also to visualize trace amounts of miRNAs in a single cell, allowing logic operation for graded cancer risk assessment and dynamic monitoring of therapy response by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Furthermore, through general molecular design, the MNAzyme motifs could serve as three-dimensional gatekeepers to lock the doxorubicin inside the nanocarriers. The drug nanocarriers were exclusively internalized into the target tumor cells via aptamer-guided recognition and reopened by the endogenous miRNAs, where the drug release rates could be spatial-temporally controlled by the modulation of miRNA expression. Integrated with miRNA profiling techniques, the designed nanodevices can provide general strategy for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and combination treatment with chemotherapy and gene therapy.

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The increased utilization of nanomaterials could affect human health and the environment due to increased exposure. Several mechanisms regarding the negative effects of nanomaterials have been proposed, one of the most discussed being oxidative stress. Many studies have shown that some metal oxide nanoparticles can enhance reactive oxygen species generation, inducing oxidative stress, DNA damage, and unregulated cell signaling, and eventually leading to changes in cell motility, apoptosis, and even carcinogenesis. 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is one of the predominant forms of oxidative DNA damage, and has therefore been widely used as a biomarker for oxidative stress and carcinogenesis. Ther are two major objectives to this study. Firstly, the development of a novel lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) is presented to measure the concentration of 8-OHdG in cells and thus reveal the nanotoxicity on the genomic level. The feasibility of this new method is validated by comparison with two other established methods: Alamar Blue assay and a recently developed electrical impedance sensing (EIS) system on the level of cell proliferation/viability. Secondly, the toxicological effects of three metallic nanoparticles (CuO, CdO, and TiO2 ) are investigated and compared using these three methods with completely different mechanisms. The results show that there is a high variation among different nanoparticles concerning their ability to cause toxic effects. CuO nanoparticles are the most potent regarding cytotoxicity and DNA damage. CdO shows a fallen cell viability as well as DNA damage, however, to a lesser extent than CuO nanoparticles. TiO2 particles only cause very limited cytotoxicity, and there is no obvious increase in 8-OHdG levels. In conclusion, LFIA as well as the EIS system are useful methods for quantitative or qualitative nanotoxicity assessments with high sensitivity, specificity, speed of performance, and simplicity.

A novel device combining electrochemical and colorimetric detection is developed for the rapid measurement of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a DNA oxidative damage biomarker. The device takes advantage of the speed and low cost of the conventional strip test as well as the high reliability and accuracy of electrochemical assay. Competitive immunoreactions were performed on the lateral flow strip, and the captured 8-OHdG on the control line was determined by chronoamperometric measurement with carbon nanotubes paper as the working electrode. At the same time, the color intensity of the test line was measured by a scanner and analyzed by the ImageJ software. The device was able to detect 8-OHdG concentrations in PBS as low as 2.07 ng mL−1 by the colorimetric method and 3.11 ng mL−1 by the electrochemical method. Furthermore, the device was successfully utilized to detect 8-OHdG in urine with a detection limit of 5.76 ng mL−1 (colorimetric method) and 8.85 ng mL−1 (electrochemical method), respectively. In conclusion, the integrated device with dual detections can provide a rapid, visual, quantitative and feasible detection method for 8-OHdG. The integration of these two methods holds two major advantages over tests based on single method. Firstly, it can provide double confidence on the same assay. Secondly, by involving two methods that differ in principle, the integration could potentially avoid false results coming from one method. In addition, these methods do not require expensive equipment or trained personnel, deeming it suitable for use as a simple, economical, portable field kit for on-site monitoring of 8-OHdG in a variety of clinical settings.

Nanomaterials, because of their tunable properties and performances, have been utilized extensively in everyday life related consumable products and technology. On exposure, beyond physiological range, nanomaterials cause health risks via affecting the function of organisms, genomic systems, and even central nervous system. Thus, new analytical approaches for nanotoxicity assessment to verify the feasibility of nanomaterials for future use are in demand. The conventional analytical techniques, such as spectrophotometric assay-based techniques usually require a lengthy and time-consuming process and many times produces false positives, and many times cannot be implemented at a single cell level measurement for studying cell behavior without interference of their surrounding environment. Hence, there is demand of a precise, accurate, sensitive assessment for toxicity using single cell. Recently, due to advantages of automation of fluids and minimization of human error, the integration of cell-on-a-chip (CoC) with microfluidic system is in practice for nanotoxicity assessments. This review explains nanotoxicity and assessment approaches with advantages/limitations and new approaches to overcome the confines of traditional techniques. Recent advances in nanotoxicity assessment using CoC integrated with microfluidic system are also discussed in this review, which may be of use for nanotoxicity assessment and diagnostics.