Laminarin-modulated osmium nanozymes with high substrate-affinity and selective peroxidase-like behavior engineered colorimetric assay for hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity estimation

Hydroxyl radical ( · OH) scavenging capacity (HOSC) estimation is essential for evaluating antioxidants, natural extracts, or drugs against clinical diseases. While nanozymes offer advantages in related applications, they still face limitations in activity and selectivity. In response, this work showcases the fabrication of laminarin-modulated osmium (laminarin-Os) nanoclusters (1.45 ± 0.05 nm), functioning as peroxidase-like nanozymes within a colorimetric assay tailored for rational HOSC estimation. This study validates both the characterization and remarkable stability of laminarin-Os. By leveraging the abundant surface negative charges of laminarin-Os and the surface hydroxyls of laminarin, oxidation reactions are facilitated, augmenting laminarin-Os’s affinity for 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) ( K M = 0.04 mM). This enables the laminarin-Os-based colorimetric assay to respond to · OH more effectively than citrate-, albumin-, or other polysaccharides-based Os. In addition, experimental results also validate the selective peroxidase-like behavior of laminarin-Os under acidic conditions. Antioxidants like ascorbic acid, glutathione, tannic acid, and cysteine inhibit absorbance at 652 nm in the colorimetric platform using laminarin-Os’s peroxidase-like activity. Compared with commercial kits, this assay demonstrates superior sensitivity (e.g., responds to ascorbic acid 0.01–0.075 mM, glutathione 1–15 µg/mL, tannic acid 0.5–5 µM, and monoammonium glycyrrhizinate cysteine 1.06–10.63 µM) and HOSC testing for glutathione, tannic acid, and monoammonium glycyrrhizinate cysteine. Overall, this study introduces a novel Os nanozyme with exceptional TMB affinity and · OH selectivity, paving the way for HOSC estimation in biomedical research, pharmaceutical analysis, drug quality control, and beyond. Graphical abstract