BPS2026 - Minimally invasive detection of intracellular ROS levels in neural microglia cells

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are critical signaling molecules involved in microglial activation and neuronal inflammation. Dysregulated ROS production is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Accurate quantification of ROS dynamics in BV-2 microglia at single-cell levels, is therefore essential for elucidating disease mechanisms. However, conventional electochemical sensor relies on an external operating voltage, where the high electric field often causes irreversible cell damage (e.g., membrane electroporation at >200–300 mV). This not only perturbs the measured cell but also affects neighboring cells, leading to distorted statistical outcomes in population analyses. To address this limitation, we developed a light-driven, self-powered nanoprobe for in situ ROS monitoring. Fluorescent live/dead assays confirmed that the photoelectrochemical system induces markedly less cell damage than voltage-based methods under identical treatment durations. By fundamentally reducing probe-induced perturbation, this approach improves the fidelity of both intracellular and population-level ROS analyses. Our work thus provides a novel low-damage method for studying microglial biology and neuroinflammatory processes in their native state.