Fe-Doped Carbon Dots Functionalized Nanoelectrode for In Situ Monitoring of Metabolism-Associated ROS Changes in Single Microglia

In metabolic reprogramming, reactive oxygen species (ROS) serve not only as harmful byproducts but also as essential signaling molecules that drive reprogramming processes to establish new metabolic homeostasis. Therefore, the in situ monitoring of ROS changes during metabolic reprogramming is crucial for understanding metabolic changes. Herein, we develop an Fe-doped carbon dots (FeCDs)-functionalized nanoelectrode that exploits the excellent catalytic activity of FeCDs to achieve in situ monitoring of intracellular ROS in single microglia under a neuroinflammatory microenvironment mimicking Alzheimer's disease. Further investigations reveal that cordycepin may target hexokinase II, a key regulatory enzyme in glucose metabolism, thereby inducing metabolic reprogramming in microglia and mitigating the LPS + Aβ-induced elevation in intracellular ROS. This work provides an efficient strategy for in situ monitoring of ROS changes during metabolic reprogramming at the single-cell level, which is vital for advancing disease diagnosis and therapeutic development.