An interface engineering strategy for SiC nanoelectrodes to investigate the mechanism of glutathione-mediated alleviation of hepatotoxicity

Silicon carbide (SiC) nanoelectrodes show promise for intracellular molecule monitoring but face challenges due to high resistance and chemical inertness, which necessitate functional surface modification to improve detection Performance. In this study, we address the bottlenecks of insufficient functional groups in nanowires prepared by traditional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and poor conductivity of polymer modification methods, via a novel conductive functionalized hydrothermal carbon coating (HTCC) interface engineering approach. Rooted in the inherent tendency of carbon nanospheres to self-assemble and adhere tightly via intermolecular interactions during hydrothermal synthesis, the approach uniformly coats the surface of inert SiC nanowires with a hydrothermal carbon layer endowed with high conductivity, stability, and abundant functional groups. The Pt/Pd-Cs-HTCC@SiC constructed based on this strategy has been successfully applied to the in-situ monitoring of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), revealing the mechanism by which glutathione (GSH) blocks tau protein phosphorylation by inhibiting the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38-MAPK) pathway, thereby alleviating the hepatotoxicity of microcystin-LR (MC-LR). This study provides a surface engineering approach for SiC nanoelectrodes and offers crucial scientific insight into the hepatotoxicity mechanisms of environmental toxins.