A novel method for the rapid determination of phenolic compounds based on the nanozyme with laccase-like activity

Ke Li; Le Wang; Zihan Guo; Zeyang Wang; Yansong Wang; Xiao Zhang; Jiyun Xu; Hui Huang; Yongxin Li

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2025.120841

A novel method for the rapid determination of phenolic compounds based on the nanozyme with laccase-like activity

Environ Res. 2025 Jan 13:120841. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.120841. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ke Li¹, Le Wang¹, Zihan Guo¹, Zeyang Wang¹, Yansong Wang¹, Xiao Zhang¹, Jiyun Xu², Hui Huang³, Yongxin Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, P. R. China; Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Water Environment, College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, P. R. China.
² Jilin Lanjing Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Jilin 132002, P. R. China.
³ College of Food Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130025, P. R. China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, P. R. China; Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Water Environment, College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, P. R. China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39814252
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.120841

Abstract

Phenolic compounds are prevalent in domestic and industrial effluents, leading a serious environmental hazard. Paper-based analysis device mediated by nanozymes has shown great potential in portable visual determination of phenolic compounds in the environment. In this work, we used nicotinic acid derivatives such as pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid, 2-methylnicotinic acid and 2-aminonicotinic acid by coordinating copper (II) acetate monohydrate coordination to obtain Cu2-COOHNA, Cu2-CH₃NA, Cu2-ANA nanozymes with laccase-activity. Compared with natural laccase and CuNA, Cu2-ANA exhibited higher catalytic activity with a similar Km of 0.05 mM and a higher Vmax of 6.08 μM·min^-1. Cu2-ANA also exhibited a remarkable level of stability and can be used under a wide range of conditions. In addition, Cu2-ANA catalyzed the oxidation of different common phenolic compounds (PCs) and mix PCs. A visually inspective portable sensor constructed by using paper test strips coated with Cu2-ANA employed the colorimetric method for evaluating the concentration of PCs. There is no need for complicated instrumentation, and the popularity and portability of smartphones make on-site testing more efficient and convenient.

Keywords: Laccase; Mixed phenolic mixtures; Nanozyme; Paper test strip; Sensing.