Oxidative stress has been recognized as a pivotal mechanism for disrupting cellular ion homeostasis and contributes to the pathogenesis of associated conditions, including alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The real-time and accurate detection of cellular ion concentrations is crucial for understanding oxidative stress-related disease pathogenesis and developing effective interventions. Herein, a multichannel electrochemical sensor was developed to simultaneously detect dynamic changes in extracellular H+, Ca2+, K+, and Na+ in HepG2 cells within an ALD cell model. This sensor was fabricated based on patterned laser-induced graphite electrodes modified with H+-sensitive polyaniline and Ca2+/K+/Na+-selective membranes. Evaluation in buffered solution systems confirmed that the sensor possessed high sensitivity, excellent anti-interference capability, along with good selectivity, reversibility, and stability in detecting all four target ions. When used to monitor extracellular ion dynamics during ethanol-induced oxidative stress and therapeutic processes in HepG2 cells, it revealed the relationship between ethanol-induced extracellular acidification, K+ efflux, intracellular Ca2+ overload, and oxidative stress. It also demonstrated that ion disorders were significantly alleviated by nutritional intervention with fucoxanthin and its targeted derivatives. This sensor provides an efficient tool for studying ion homeostasis imbalance mechanisms in oxidative stress-related disease and holds potential applications in cell metabolism monitoring, as well as the fabrication and application of real-time multi-ion sensors.
Zhong et al. (2026) studied this question.