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Peer-reviewedCC BYRSC advances

An efficient hypochlorous acid fluorescence imaging strategy based on toehold-mediated strand displacement for distinguishing cancer cells from normal cells

  • Qianqian Duan1
  • Aihua Xu1,2
  • Ruobing Han3
  • Guochao Xu1
  • Qianqing Wang3,4
  • Changbei Ma2
4 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xinxiang Central Hospital 453000 Xinxiang Henan China
  2. 2School of Life Sciences, Central South University 410013 Changsha Hunan China
  3. 3Central Laboratory, Xinxiang Central Hospital 453000 Xinxiang Henan China
  4. 4Department of Gynecology Oncology, Xinxiang Central Hospital 453000 Xinxiang Henan China
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Abstract

Cancer is among the most significant diseases endangering global public health. Early detection has been demonstrated to markedly improve prognoses and increase cure rates. Hypochlorous acid (HClO) is a pivotal reactive oxygen species, frequently manifesting elevated levels in cancer cells. Herein, a highly sensitive, highly specific, and efficient HClO detection method was established based on the toehold-mediated strand displacement (TMSD). This method employs a duplex complex (TN) formed from three single-stranded DNAs to carry a fluorescent group (FAM), and introduces a hairpin DNA (HP) with a phosphorothioate (PS)-modified site for specific recognition of HClO. Under the action of HClO, the short fragment bearing FAM group is eventually released from TN, resulting in a significant increase in the system fluorescence. After optimization, the method achieves excellent HClO detection performance, with a detection range of 0.01–7 µM (LOD: 12.9 nM). Analysis of real samples, including tap water, serum and cell lysate, also confirms its good stability and accuracy. Most importantly, the method enables imaging of intracellular HClO, thereby effectively distinguishing cancer cells from normal cells. Overall, this method offers various advantages, including excellent detection performance, fast response times, ease of use, and readily available materials, making it promising for application in early diagnosis of cancer.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{duan2026efficient,
  title = {{An efficient hypochlorous acid fluorescence imaging strategy based on toehold-mediated strand displacement for distinguishing cancer cells from normal cells}},
  author = {Qianqian Duan and Aihua Xu and Ruobing Han and Guochao Xu and Qianqing Wang and Changbei Ma},
  journal = {RSC advances},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1039/d6ra08265c},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720905},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - An efficient hypochlorous acid fluorescence imaging strategy based on toehold-mediated strand displacement for distinguishing cancer cells from normal cells
AU  - Qianqian Duan
AU  - Aihua Xu
AU  - Ruobing Han
AU  - Guochao Xu
AU  - Qianqing Wang
AU  - Changbei Ma
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/30
JO  - RSC advances
DO  - 10.1039/d6ra08265c
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720905
AB  - Cancer is among the most significant diseases endangering global public health. Early detection has been demonstrated to markedly improve prognoses and increase cure rates. Hypochlorous acid (HClO) is a pivotal reactive oxygen species, frequently manifesting elevated levels in cancer cells. Herein, a highly sensitive, highly specific, and efficient HClO detection method was established based on the toehold-mediated strand displacement (TMSD). This method employs a duplex complex (TN) formed from three single-stranded DNAs to carry a fluorescent group (FAM), and introduces a hairpin DNA (HP) with a phosphorothioate (PS)-modified site for specific recognition of HClO. Under the action of HClO, the short fragment bearing FAM group is eventually released from TN, resulting in a significant increase in the system fluorescence. After optimization, the method achieves excellent HClO detection performance, with a detection range of 0.01–7 µM (LOD: 12.9 nM). Analysis of real samples, including tap water, serum and cell lysate, also confirms its good stability and accuracy. Most importantly, the method enables imaging of intracellular HClO, thereby effectively distinguishing cancer cells from normal cells. Overall, this method offers various advantages, including excellent detection performance, fast response times, ease of use, and readily available materials, making it promising for application in early diagnosis of cancer.
SN  - 2046-2069
ER  -