Environmental genotoxins cause DNA damage and lead to gene dysfunction and mutation, posing a serious threat to health. In this article, a styrene-7,8-oxide–responsive DNA capsule (SODC) was designed and synthesized to respond to styrene-7,8-oxide (SO) (0–2%) within 10 min. The SODC was constructed by assembling three DNA oligos in a layer-by-layer structure and forming crosslinked hybridized DNA with segmented duplexes in 7–8 bp. The duplexes contained numerous guanine–cytosine pairs that were susceptible to electrophilic attack of SO. The resulting SO–purine adducts caused duplex dehybridization, which led to collapse of the SODC and release of fluorescent cargo. The size, number, zeta potential, and morphology of the SODC were evaluated. The melting curve indicated integrity of the crosslinked hybridization, which was evident from a substantial increase in melting temperature. SO-triggered transformation of the DNA capsules was tracked using a confocal microscope. To maximize the unlocking efficiency of the SODC, the effects of incubation time, temperature, pH, and ionic concentration on the outputted fluorescence were also studied. The response yielded by styrene and toluene (2%) was minimal. The interference caused by a high concentration of K₃PO₄ (50 mM)—a mimicking condition of intracellular fluid—was negligible. This system presented promising DNA-encoded sensing elements in the surveillance of the effect caused by environmental genotoxins.

环境基因毒素导致DNA损伤，导致基因功能障碍和突变，对健康构成严重威胁。在本文中，设计并合成了苯乙烯-7,8-氧化物响应 DNA 胶囊（SODC），以在 10 分钟内响应苯乙烯-7,8-氧化物（SO）（0-2%）。SODC 是通过将三个 DNA 寡核苷酸以逐层结构组装并形成交联的杂交 DNA 来构建的，该 DNA 具有 7-8 bp 的分段双链体。双链体含有大量鸟嘌呤-胞嘧啶对，它们对 SO 的亲电攻击敏感。由此产生的 SO-嘌呤加合物引起双链去杂交，导致 SODC 崩溃并释放荧光物质。评估了 SODC 的大小、数量、zeta 电位和形态。熔解曲线表明交联杂交的完整性，这可以从熔化温度的显着增加中看出。使用共聚焦显微镜跟踪 DNA 胶囊的 SO 触发转化。为了最大限度地提高 SODC 的解锁效率，还研究了孵育时间、温度、pH 和离子浓度对输出荧光的影响。苯乙烯和甲苯 (2%) 产生的响应最小。高浓度 K 引起的干扰₃ PO ₄ (50 mM)——一种模拟细胞内液的条件——可以忽略不计。该系统在监测由环境基因毒素引起的影响方面提供了有希望的 DNA 编码传感元件。