A novel isothermal amplification strategy for rapid and sensitive detection of Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 using a bipedal DNA walker in anti-aging research

In the field of anti-aging research, a groundbreaking study introduces a novel isothermal amplification strategy for the rapid and sensitive detection of Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) utilizing a bipedal DNA walker. MMP-2 plays a crucial role in skin aging due to its involvement in the degradation of collagen and elastin, key components of the extracellular matrix. The dysregulation of MMP-2 activity contributes to the breakdown of the extracellular matrix, leading to manifestations of skin aging such as wrinkles, sagging, and loss of elasticity. This research presents a novel method for detecting MMP-2 using a bipedal DNA walker. The method uses peptide nucleic acid (PNA) as a substrate for MMP-2, which can release a bandage strand that forms the bipedal walker “leg” with two DNA strands. The bipedal walker “leg” initiates the bipedal walker isothermal amplification strategy that involves entropy-driven DNA walking and catalytic hairpin assembly on a PEI@Ru(bpy)32+-Ti3C2@AuNPs-modified electrode. The walker’s motion produces an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) signal that can be rapidly analyzed by a biosensor. The detection limit of this method is 80.6 fM, which is significantly lower than other methods. Overall, this study represents an important step towards the development of effective anti-aging research methods.