Harnessing Graphdiyne for Selective Cu Detection: A Promising Tool for Parkinson's Disease Diagnostics and Pathogenesis.

Cu accelerates the viral-like propagation of α-synuclein fibrils and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Therefore, the accurate detection of Cu is essential for the diagnosis of PD and other neurological diseases. The Cu detection process is impeded by substances that have similar electrochemical properties. In this study, graphdiyne (GDY), a new kind of carbon allotrope with strong electron-donating ability, was utilized for the highly selective detection of Cu by taking advantage of its outstanding adsorption capacity for Cu. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that Cu atoms are adsorbed in the cavity of GDY, and the absorption energy between Cu and C atoms is higher than that of graphene (GR), indicating that the cavity of GDY is favorable for the adsorption of Cu atoms and electrochemical sensing. The GDY-based electrochemical sensor can effectively avoid the interference of amino acids, metal ions and neurotransmitters and has a high sensitivity of 9.77 μA·μM·cm, with a minimum detectable concentration of 200 nM. During the investigating pathogenesis and therapeutic process of PD with α-synuclein as the diagnostic standard, the concentration of Cu in cells before and after L-DOPA and GSH treatments were examined, and it was found that Cu exhibits high potential as a biomarker for PD. This study not only harnesses the favorable adsorption of the GDY and Cu to improve the specificity of ion detection but also provide clues for deeper understanding of the role of Cu in neurobiology and neurological diseases.