Surface modification strategies and the functional mechanisms of gold nanozyme in biosensing and bioassay

Gold nanozymes (GNZs) have been widely used in biosensing and bioassay due to their interesting catalytic activities that enable the substitution of natural enzyme. This review explains different catalytic activities of GNZs that can be achieved by applying different modifications to their surface. The role of Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in mimicking oxidoreductase, helicase, phosphatase were introduced. Moreover, the effect of surface properties and modifications on each catalytic activity was thoroughly discussed. The application of GNZs in biosensing and bioassay was classified in five categories based on the combination of the enzyme like activities and enhancing/ inhibition of the catalytic activities in presence of the target analyte/s that is realized by proper surface modification engineering. These categories include catalytic activity enhancer, reversible catalytic activity inhibitor, binding selectivity enhancer, agglomeration base, and multienzyme like activity, which are explained and exemplified in this review. It also gives examples of those modifications that enable the application of GNZs for in vivo biosensing and bioassays.

Automated summary

This review presents the wide applications of Gold nanozymes (GNZs) in biosensing and bioassay due to their interesting catalytic activities that can substitute natural enzymes. Different modifications on the surface of GNZs enable different catalytic activities, and the role of Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in mimicking oxidoreductase, helicase, and phosphatase is introduced. The impact of surface properties and modifications on each catalytic activity is thoroughly discussed. The applications of GNZs are classified into five categories based on the combination of enzyme-like activities and enhancing/inhibition effects in the presence of target analytes, which are realized by proper surface modification engineering. Examples of GNZs for in vivo biosensing and bioassays are also provided.