Intrinsic oxidase-mimicking activity of nitrite upon visible light illumination and its colorimetric detection in saliva.

Small molecules with enzyme-like properties have recently attracted considerable attention. Herein, we discovered that nitrite possesses intrinsic oxidase-mimicking activity upon visible light, catalyzing the oxidation of the typical chromogenic substrate in the absence of HO. Notably, nitrite exhibited a markedly high value of K, approximately 4, 7, and 4000-fold greater than that of Acr-Mes, Eosin Y, and Diacetyl, respectively. Comprehensive investigation elucidated that O⁻ and •OH are the primary reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsible for the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine dihydrochloride hydrate (TMB). Leveraging the linear correlation between the absorbance of oxidized TMB (oxTMB) at 652 nm and nitrite concentration, a simple colorimetric approach for nitrite detection was successfully established in the range of 1-75 μM with a detection limit of 0.14 μM. Moreover, the proposed strategy could be applied to determine the nitrite concentration in saliva, exhibiting a great prospect for clinical diagnosis. This work contributes novel insights into the exploration of small-molecule enzyme mimics.