Gold nanoparticle-based fluorescence immunoassay for malaria antigen detection

Highly selective detection of deoxyribonucleic acid in living cells using RecA-green fluorescent protein-single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid filament fluorescence resonance energy transfer probe

A fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) method was developed for double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA) detection in living cells using the RecA-GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion protein filament. In brief, the thiol-modified single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) was attached to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs); on the contrary, the prepared RecA-GFP fusion protein interacted with ssDNA. Due to the FRET between AuNPs and RecA-GFP, fluorescence of RecA-GFP fusion protein was quenched. In the presence of homologous dsDNA, homologous recombination occurred to release RecA-GFP fusion protein. Thus, the fluorescence of RecA-GFP was recovered. The dsDNA concentration was detected using fluorescence intensity of RecA-GFP. Under optimal conditions, this method could detect dsDNA activity as low as 0.015 optical density (OD) Escherichia coli cells, with a wide linear range from 0.05 to 0.9 OD cells, and the regression equation was ΔF = 342.7c + 78.9, with a linear relationship coefficient of 0.9920. Therefore, it provided a promising approach for the selective detection of dsDNA in living cells for early clinical diagnosis of genetic diseases.

Nanomaterials as a Potential Target for Infectious Parasitic Agents

Despite the technological advancement in the era of personalized medicine and therapeutics development, infectious parasitic causative agents remain one of the most challenging areas of research and development. The disadvantages of conventional parasitic prevention and control are the emergence of multiple drug resistance as well as the non-specific targeting of intracellular parasites, which results in high dose concentration needs and subsequently intolerable cytotoxicity. Nanotechnology has attracted extensive interest to reduce medication therapy adverse effects including poor bioavailability and drug selectivity. Numerous nanomaterials-based delivery systems have previously been shown in animal models to be effective in the treatment of various parasitic infections. This review discusses a variety of nanomaterials-based antiparasitic procedures and techniques as well as the processes that allow them to be targeted to different parasitic infections. This review focuses on the key prerequisites for creating novel nanotechnology-based carriers as a potential option in parasite management, specifically in the context of human-related pathogenic parasitic agents.

Real-time PCR versus traditional and Nano-based ELISA in early detection of murine trichinellosis

Trichinellosis is a serious foodborne zoonosis. It poses a serious risk to public health worldwide. Early serological diagnosis of trichinellosis is influenced by an immunological 'silent' phase following infection. This highlights the necessity for developing sensitive diagnostic approaches to be employed when antibodies cannot be detected. In this work, the validity of traditional ELISA, Nano-ELISA and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were evaluated in early diagnosis of Trichinella spiralis. Swiss albino mice were orally infected with 100 and 300 muscle larvae/mouse. Mice were sacrificed 4, 6, 8, 10, 15, and 28 days post-infection (dpi). Blood samples were tested for circulating antigen by traditional ELISA and Nano-ELISA using anti-rabbit polyclonal IgG conjugated with AgNPs and for Rep gene by SYBR green real-time PCR. Rep gene detection by SYBR green real-time PCR could detect T. spiralis with 100% sensitivity in the mild infection group at 8 dpi, while in the severe infection group it reached 100% sensitivity at 4 dpi. Nano-ELISA could detect T. spiralis circulating antigen from 4 dpi in both mild and severe infection and reached 100% sensitivity at 8 dpi and 6 dpi in mild and severe infection, respectively. However, traditional ELISA could detect T. spiralis circulating antigen from 6 dpi and reached maximum sensitivity at 15 dpi in the mild infection group, while in the severe infection group detection began at 4 dpi and reached 100% sensitivity at 8 dpi. Nano-ELISA and real time PCR, using Rep gene, are useful tools for the detection of early T. spiralis infection even in its mild infection state.

Chronic Inflammation's Transformation to Cancer: A Nanotherapeutic Paradigm

The body's normal immune response against any invading pathogen that causes infection in the body results in inflammation. The sudden transformation in inflammation leads to the rise of inflammatory diseases such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune disorders, and colorectal cancer (different types of cancer develop at the site of chronic infection and inflammation). Inflammation results in two ways: short-term inflammation i.e., non-specific, involves the action of various immune cells; the other results in long-term reactions lasting for months or years. It is specific and causes angiogenesis, fibrosis, tissue destruction, and cancer progression at the site of inflammation. Cancer progression relies on the interaction between the host microenvironment and tumor cells along with the inflammatory responses, fibroblast, and vascular cells. The two pathways that have been identified connecting inflammation and cancer are the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Both have their own specific role in linking inflammation to cancer, involving various transcription factors such as Nuclear factor kappa B, Activator of transcription, Single transducer, and Hypoxia-inducible factor, which in turn regulates the inflammatory responses via Soluble mediators cytokines (such as Interleukin-6, Hematopoietin-1/Erythropoietin, and tumor necrosis factor), chemokines (such as Cyclooxygenase-2, C-X-C Motif chemokines ligand-8, and IL-8), inflammatory cells, cellular components (such as suppressor cells derived from myeloid, tumor-associated macrophage, and acidophils), and promotes tumorigenesis. The treatment of these chronic inflammatory diseases is challenging and needs early detection and diagnosis. Nanotechnology is a booming field nowadays for its rapid action and easy penetration inside the infected destined cells. Nanoparticles are widely classified into different categories based on their different factors and properties such as size, shape, cytotoxicity, and others. Nanoparticles emerged as excellent with highly progressive medical inventions to cure diseases such as cancer, inflammatory diseases, and others. Nanoparticles have shown higher binding capacity with the biomolecules in inflammation reduction and lowers the oxidative stress inside tissue/cells. In this review, we have overall discussed inflammatory pathways that link inflammation to cancer, major inflammatory diseases, and the potent action of nanoparticles in chronic inflammation-related diseases.

Microfluidic SERS devices: brightening the future of bioanalysis

A new avenue has opened up for applications of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in the biomedical field, mainly due to the striking advantages offered by SERS tags. SERS tags provide indirect identification of analytes with rich and highly specific spectral fingerprint information, high sensitivity, and outstanding multiplexing potential, making them very useful in in vitro and in vivo assays. The recent and innovative advances in nanomaterial science, novel Raman reporters, and emerging bioconjugation protocols have helped develop ultra-bright SERS tags as powerful tools for multiplex SERS-based detection and diagnosis applications. Nevertheless, to translate SERS platforms to real-world problems, some challenges, especially for clinical applications, must be addressed. This review presents the current understanding of the factors influencing the quality of SERS tags and the strategies commonly employed to improve not only spectral quality but the specificity and reproducibility of the interaction of the analyte with the target ligand. It further explores some of the most common approaches which have emerged for coupling SERS with microfluidic technologies, for biomedical applications. The importance of understanding microfluidic production and characterisation to yield excellent device quality while ensuring high throughput production are emphasised and explored, after which, the challenges and approaches developed to fulfil the potential that SERS-based microfluidics have to offer are described.

A Dual, Systematic Approach to Malaria Diagnostic Biomarker Discovery

Background

The emergence and spread of Plasmodium falciparum parasites that lack HRP2/3 proteins and the resulting decreased utility of HRP2-based malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) prompted the World Health Organization and other global health stakeholders to prioritize the discovery of novel diagnostic biomarkers for malaria.

Methods

To address this pressing need, we adopted a dual, systematic approach by conducting a systematic review of the literature for publications on diagnostic biomarkers for uncomplicated malaria and a systematic in silico analysis of P. falciparum proteomics data for Plasmodium proteins with favorable diagnostic features.

Results

Our complementary analyses led us to 2 novel malaria diagnostic biomarkers compatible for use in an RDT format: glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase.

Conclusions

Overall, our results pave the way for the development of next-generation malaria RDTs based on new antigens by identifying 2 lead candidates with favorable diagnostic features and partially de-risked product development prospects.

Colorimetric and electrochemical detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen with a gold nanoparticle-based biosensor

Since emerging in China in December 2019, COVID-19 has spread globally, wreaked havoc for public health and economies worldwide and, given the high infectivity and unexpectedly rapid spread of the virus responsible-that is, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-urged the World Health Organization to declare it a pandemic. In response, reducing the virus's adverse effects requires developing methods of early diagnosis that are reliable, are inexpensive and offer rapid response. As demonstrated in this article, the colorimetric and electrochemical detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen with gold nanoparticle-based biosensors may be one such method. In the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen, gold nanoparticles aggregated rapidly and irreversibly due to antibody-antigen interaction and consequently changed in colour from red to purple, as easily observable with the naked eye or UV-Vis spectrometry by way of spectral redshifting with a detection limit of 48 ng/mL. Moreover, electrochemical detection was achieved by dropping developed probe solution onto the commercially available and disposable screen-printed gold electrode without requiring any electrode preparation and modification. The method identified 1 pg/mL of the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen and showed a linear response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen ranging from 1 pg/mL to 10 ng/mL. Both methods were highly specific to detecting the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen but not other antigens, including influenza A (i.e. H1N1), MERS-CoV and Streptococcus pneumoniae, even at high concentrations.

Biosensor Based Immunoassay: A New Approach for Serotyping of Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasmosis is the most reported parasitic zoonosis in Europe, with implications in human health and in the veterinary field. There is an increasing need to develop serotyping of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in view of greater sensitivity and efficiency, through the definition of new targets and new methodologies. Nanotechnology is a promising approach, with impact in the development of point-of-care devices. The aim of this work was to develop a simple but highly efficient method for Toxoplasma gondii serotyping based on gold nanoparticles. A simple colorimetric method was developed using gold nanoparticles modified with the synthetic polymorphic peptide derived from GRA6 antigen specific for type II T. gondii. The method of preparation of the gold nanoprobes and the experimental conditions for the detection were found to be critical for a sensitive discrimination between positive and negative sera. The optimized method was used to detect antibodies anti-GRA6II both in mice and human serum samples. These results clearly demonstrate that a biosensor-based immunoassay using AuNPs conjugated with polymorphic synthetic peptides can be developed and used as a serotyping device

Sensitive Immunoassay Detection of Plasmodium Lactate Dehydrogenase by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Rapid, reliable, and sensitive detection of Plasmodium infection is central to malaria control and elimination. Many Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) developed for this purpose depend upon immunoassays that can be improved by advances in bound antibody sensor technology. In a previous study, immuno-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was shown to provide highly sensitive detection of Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (PfLDH) in monoclonal antibody (mAb) sandwich assays. Here, we show comparably high immunoassay sensitivity by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Following capture of PfLDH with the primary mAb and binding of the AuNP-labeled detection mAb, ICP-MS signals from the AuNPs provided quantitative measures of recombinant PfLDH test dilutions and P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes. A detection limit of 1.5 pg/mL was achieved with the PfLDH protein. Parasitemia in cultures of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes could be detected to a lower limit of 1.6 parasite/μl (p/μl) for early ring-stage forms and 0.3 p/μl for mixed stages including mature trophozoites and schizont-stages. These results show that ICP-MS detection of AuNPs can support highly sensitive and accurate detection of Plasmodium infection.

Early diagnosis of experimental Trichinella spiralis infection by nano-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (nano-based ELISA)

Trichinellosis is a serious foodborne zoonotic disease. It is an important threat to public health all over the world. Although anti-Trichinella IgG detection is the most widely used method for diagnosis of trichinellosis, but there is an obvious window between clinical symptoms and positive serology. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be conjugated with antibodies affording them promising applications for bio-chemical detection. Herein, AuNPs-based ELISA was evaluated for the first time in the detection of Trichinella spiralis circulating antigen (CAg) for its potential as a diagnostic tool of experimental infection. Swiss Albino mice were orally inoculated with 100 muscle larvae/mouse. Animals were sacrificed 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 22 and 28 day-post infection (dpi). Blood samples were tested for CAg by both standard ELISA and nano-based ELISA using anti-rabbit polyclonal IgG conjugated with AuNPs. CAg was only detected by nano-based ELISA 6, 8, 10 dpi and by both formats 12-28 dpi. Nano-based assay recorded a statistically significant high sensitivity (58.33%, 91.67%) and accuracy (72.22%, 94.44%) 8 and 10 dpi, respectively in comparison to standard ELISA. Both assays showed high sensitivity and accuracy 12-28 dpi. Thus, nano-based ELISA could be considered as an early sensitive diagnostic method for experimental trichinellosis.

Recent Advances in the Development of Biosensors for Malaria Diagnosis

The impact of malaria on global health has continually prompted the need to develop more effective diagnostic strategies that could overcome deficiencies in accurate and early detection. In this review, we examine the various biosensor-based methods for malaria diagnostic biomarkers, namely; Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP-2), parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH), aldolase, glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), and the biocrystal hemozoin. The models that demonstrate a potential for field application have been discussed, looking at the fabrication and analytical performance characteristics, including (but not exclusively limited to): response time, sensitivity, detection limit, linear range, and storage stability, which are first summarized in a tabular form and then described in detail. The conclusion summarizes the state-of-the-art technologies applied in the field, the current challenges and the emerging prospects for malaria biosensors.

Development of a Gold Nanoparticle-Based Lateral-Flow Immunoassay for Pneumocystis Pneumonia Serological Diagnosis at Point-of-Care

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PcP) is a major human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related illness, rising among immunocompromised non-HIV patients and in developing countries. Presently, the diagnosis requires respiratory specimens obtained through invasive and costly techniques that are difficult to perform in all patients or implement in all economic settings. Therefore, the development of a faster, cost-effective, non-invasive and field-friendly test to diagnose PcP would be a significant advance. In this study, recombinant synthetic antigens (RSA) of P. jirovecii's major surface glycoprotein (Msg) and kexin-like serine protease (Kex1) were produced and purified. These RSA were applied as antigenic tools in immunoenzymatic assays for detection of specific anti-P. jirovecii antibodies (IgG and IgM) in sera of patients with (n = 48) and without (n = 28) PcP. Results showed that only IgM anti-P. jirovecii levels were significantly increased in patients with PcP compared with patients without P. jirovecii infection (p ≤ 0.001 with both RSA). Thus, two strip lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA), based on the detection of specific IgM anti-P. jirovecii antibodies in human sera samples, were developed using the innovative association of P. jirovecii's RSA with spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). For that, alkanethiol-functionalized spherical AuNPs with ca. ~40 nm in diameter were synthetized and conjugated with the two RSA (Msg or Kex1) produced. These AuNP-RSA conjugates were characterized by agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) and optimized to improve their ability to interact specifically with serum IgM anti-P. jirovecii antibodies. Finally, two LFIA prototypes were developed and tested with pools of sera from patients with (positive sample) and without (negative sample) PcP. Both LFIA had the expected performance, namely, the presence of a test and control red colored lines with the positive sample, and only a control red colored line with the negative sample. These results provide valuable insights into the possibility of PcP serodiagnosis at point-of-care. The optimization, validation and implementation of this strip-based approach may help to reduce the high cost of medical diagnosis and subsequent treatment of PcP both in industrialized and low-income regions, helping to manage the disease all around the world.

Polyamine-Modified Gold Nanoparticles Readily Adsorb on Cell Membranes for Bioimaging

The surface modification of nanoparticles (NPs) can enhance cellular and intracellular targeting. A new type of polyamine-modified gold NPs (AuNPs) are designed and synthesized, which can be selectively absorbed onto the cell membrane. AuNPs with an average diameter of 4.0 nm were prepared and modified with polyamine (R-4C) through amidation. In order to detect the distribution of NPs within cells by fluorescence imaging, AuNP@MPA-R-4C was functionalized with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The fluorescence-labled NPs AuNP@MPA-R-4C-FITC demonstrated minimal cytotoxicity in several cell lines. Both confocal laser scanning microscopy and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that AuNP@MPA-R-4C-FITC was distributed on the cell membrane. Compared with the free organic dye, the modified AuNPs showed significantly increased accumulation on the cell membrane after treatment for only 10 min. These results suggested that AuNP@MPA-R-4C-FITC can be used as a bioprobe targeting the cell membrane for various biological applications.

Gold nanoparticles and hepatitis B virus

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major health issues in the world presently with high tendency of leading to hepatocarcinoma, cirrhosis and liver cancer, especially if not properly managed. It has been estimated that there are about 2 billion people with a serological profile of HBV infection, and 360 million patients worldwide living with chronic HBV-associated liver disease, hence the need to find an efficient and precise diagnosis technique to drive a robust treatment for Hepatitis B virus cannot be over emphasized. The emergence of analytical device like biosensor which combines biological and physicochemical element to detect HBV in screened samples has been very helpful in providing a timely intervention to tame this virus. This review focuses on the current state of biosensor researches with respect to various in-depth application of gold nanoparticle for the detection of HBV.

Recent developments in protease activity assays and sensors

Proteases play a pivotal role in regulating important physiological processes from food digestion to blood clotting. They are also important biomarkers for many diseases such as cancers. The importance of proteases has led to extensive efforts in the screening of proteases and their inhibitors as potential drug molecules. For example, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients have been treated with HIV-1 protease inhibitors to prolong the life expectancy of patients. Such a close relationship between diseases and proteases provides a strong motivation for developing sensitive, selective, and robust protease assays and sensors, which can be exploited to discover new proteases and inhibitors. In this aspect, protease assays based on levels of proteolytic activities are more relevant than protease affinity assays such as immunoassays. In this review, recent developments of protease activity assays based on different detection principles are discussed and compared. For homogenous assays, fluorescence-based techniques are the most popular due to their high sensitivity and quantitative results. However, homogeneous assays have limited multiplex sensing capabilities. In contrast, heterogeneous assays can be employed to detect multiple proteases simultaneously, given the microarray technology that is already available. Among them, electrochemical methods, surface spectroscopy techniques, and enzyme-linked peptide protease assays are commonly used. Finally, recent developments in liquid crystal (LC)-based protease assays and their applications for detecting proteases and their inhibitors are discussed.

Gold nanoparticles - against parasites and insect vectors

Nanomaterials are currently considered for many biological, biomedical and environmental purposes, due to their outstanding physical and chemical properties. The synthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) is of high interest for research in parasitology and entomology, since these nanomaterials showed promising applications, ranging from detection techniques to drug development, against a rather wide range of parasites of public health relevance, as well as on insect vectors. Here, I reviewed current knowledge about the bioactivity of Au NPs on selected insect species of public health relevance, including major mosquito vectors, such as Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus. The toxicity of Au NPs against helminths was reviewed, covering Schistosoma mansoni trematodes as well as Raillietina cestodes. Furthermore, I summarized the information available on the antiparasitic role of Au NPs in the fight against malaria, leishmaniosis, toxoplasmosis, trypanosomiasis, cryptosporidiosis, and microsporidian parasites affecting human and animals health. Besides, I examined the employ of Au NPs as biomarkers, tools for diagnostics and adjuvants for the induction of transmission blocking immunity in malaria vaccine research. In the final section, major challenges and future outlooks for further research are discussed, with special reference to the pressing need of further knowledge about the effect of Au NPs on other arthropod vectors, such as ticks, tsetse flies, tabanids, sandflies and blackflies, and related ecotoxicology assays.

Surface Plasmon Resonance or Biocompatibility-Key Properties for Determining the Applicability of Noble Metal Nanoparticles

Metal and in particular noble metal nanoparticles represent a very special class of materials which can be applied as prepared or as composite materials. In most of the cases, two main properties are exploited in a vast number of publications: biocompatibility and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). For instance, these two important properties are exploitable in plasmonic diagnostics, bioactive glasses/glass ceramics and catalysis. The most frequently applied noble metal nanoparticle that is universally applicable in all the previously mentioned research areas is gold, although in the case of bioactive glasses/glass ceramics, silver and copper nanoparticles are more frequently applied. The composite partners/supports/matrix/scaffolds for these nanoparticles can vary depending on the chosen application (biopolymers, semiconductor-based composites: TiO₂, WO₃, Bi₂WO₆, biomaterials: SiO₂ or P₂O₅-based glasses and glass ceramics, polymers: polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Gelatin, polyethylene glycol (PEG), polylactic acid (PLA), etc.). The scientific works on these materials' applicability and the development of new approaches will be targeted in the present review, focusing in several cases on the functioning mechanism and on the role of the noble metal.

Site-specific conjugation of an antibody on a gold nanoparticle surface for one-step diagnosis of prostate specific antigen with dynamic light scattering

Small dimensions of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) necessitate antibodies to be immobilized in an oriented fashion in order to conserve their antigen binding activity for proper function. In this study, we used the previously described UV-NBS method to site-specifically incorporate a thioctic acid (TA) functionality into antibodies at the conserved nucleotide-binding site (NBS). Modified antibodies were immobilized on the AuNP surface in an oriented manner utilizing the newly incorporated TA functionality while maintaining the antibody structure and activity. The resulting antibody functionalized AuNPs via the UV-NBS method demonstrated significantly enhanced antigen detection capabilities and improved antigen detection sensitivity with a high level of selectivity when compared to other commonly used AuNP functionalization methods. Our results demonstrate that the limit of detection (LOD) for AuNPs functionalized via the UV-NBS method was 55 pM PSA, which is 40, 851, and 5873-fold improved over the other immobilization methods: EDC-NHS, thiol reduction, and ionic interaction, respectively. Consequently, the UV-NBS method provides a universal, site-specific functionalization method that generates highly sensitive and more stable antibody functionalized AuNPs which are amenable to any available detection and treatment assay with potential significant implications.

Facile synthesis of stable, water soluble, dendron-coated gold nanoparticles

Upon reduction with sodium borohydride, diazonium tetrachloroaurate salts of triazine dendrons yield dendron-coated gold nanoparticles connected by a gold-carbon bond. These robust nanoparticles are stable in water and toluene solutions for longer than one year and present surface groups that can be reacted to change surface chemistry and manipulate solubility. Molecular modeling was used to provide insight on the hydration of the nanoparticles and their observed solubilties.

Novel Pyrimidine Tagged Silver Nanoparticle Based Fluorescent Immunoassay for the Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A simple pyrimidine-based fluorescent probe (R)-4-(anthracen-9-yl)-6- (naphthalen-1-yl)-1,6-dihydropyrimidine-2-amine (ANDPA) was synthesized through the greener one pot reaction and characterized by IR, NMR, and ESI-Mass. Glucose stabilized silver nanoparticles (Glu-AgNPs) were also synthesized and characterized using UV, IR, XRD, SEM, and TEM. When ANDPA was tagged with Glu-AgNPs, the fluorescent intensity of ANDPA decreased drastically. When the monoclonal antibody (Ab) [immunoglobulin G (IgG)] of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) was attached with ANDPA/Glu-AgNPs, the original intensity of the probe was recovered with minimal enhancement at 446 nm. On further attachment of PA with ANDPA/Glu-AgNPs/PA, the fluorescence intensity of the probe was enhanced obviously at 446 nm with red shift. This phenomenon was further supported by SEM and TEM. The linear range of detection is from 8 to 10^-1 CFU/mL, and LOD is 1.5 CFU/mL. The immunosensor was successfully demonstrated to detect Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water, soil, and food products like milk, sugar cane, and orange juices.

Anti-IgG-anchored liquid crystal microdroplets for label free detection of IgG

AIgG anchored LC microdroplets showing configurational transition from radial (a) to bipolar (b) upon interaction with IgG.

Co-immobilized poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polyamines promote sensitivity and restrict biofouling on gold sensor surface for detecting factor IX in human plasma

In order to detect an extremely low amount of human coagulation factor IX (FIX), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/aptamer co-immobilized surface was constructed using original PEG-polyamine surface modification agents on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor chip. Initially, a gold (Au) sensor chip of SPR was modified using poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly[2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PEG-b-PAMA) followed by treatment with SH-dT20 and was duplexed with anti-FIX aptamer extended using A24. Furthermore, the co-immobilization of pentaethylenehexamine-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (N6-PEG) on the sensing surface completely quenched bio-fouling. On this dual tethered PEG-surface, we determined that the dissociation constant for FIX-aptamer interaction was 37 ± 10 pM, and the sensitivity of detection could reach up to 800 fM on using aptamer-FIX-antibody sandwich pattern detected by gold nanoparticle-conjugated anti-mouse antibody. We could detect FIX in the presence of abundant albumin. Furthermore, to mimic the actual detection of FIX in clinical samples, we demonstrated our experimental results with human blood plasma instead of FIX. Higher-sensitivity was attained because of dual polymers immobilized on Au surface, and this can emerge as a common strategy for any aptamer-protein interactions. The selective binding of aptamer in human blood plasma described here indicates the suitability of the present strategy for detection in clinically relevant samples.

'Spotted Nanoflowers': Gold-seeded Zinc Oxide Nanohybrid for Selective Bio-capture

Hybrid gold nanostructures seeded into nanotextured zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflowers (NFs) were created for novel biosensing applications. The selected 'spotted NFs' had a 30-nm-thick gold nanoparticle (AuNP) layer, chosen from a range of AuNP thicknesses, sputtered onto the surface. The generated nanohybrids, characterized by morphological, physical and structural analyses, were uniformly AuNP-seeded onto the ZnO NFs with an average length of 2-3 μm. Selective capture of molecular probes onto the seeded AuNPs was evidence for the specific interaction with DNA from pathogenic Leptospirosis-causing strains via hybridization and mis-match analyses. The attained detection limit was 100 fM as determined via impedance spectroscopy. High levels of stability, reproducibility and regeneration of the sensor were obtained. Selective DNA immobilization and hybridization were confirmed by nitrogen and phosphorus peaks in an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The created nanostructure hybrids illuminate the mechanism of generating multiple-target, high-performance detection on a single NF platform, which opens a new avenue for array-based medical diagnostics.

Development of monoclonal antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum thioredoxin peroxidase 1 and its possible application for malaria diagnosis

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been considered as an ideal alternative for light microscopy to detect malaria parasites especially in remote areas. The development and improvement of RDTs is an area of intensive research in the last decade. To date, few parasite proteins have been targeted in RDTs which are known to have certain deficiencies and made the researchers to look for other promising candidates to address this problem. Plasmodium falciparum thioredoxin peroxidase 1 (PfTPx-1) is abundantly expressed in the cytoplasm of the parasite and well conserved across Plasmodium species, making this antigen a promising target for malaria diagnosis. Several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced against PfTPx-1. The binding affinities of mAbs were measured. Several immunochromatographic tests (ICTs) were developed using different combination of mAbs. All mAbs showed promising affinities to be used for diagnosis. The sensitivities of ICTs were evaluated using recombinant PfTPx-1 whose results lead us to the preparation of 4 different ICTs. These tests showed positive reaction with P. falciparum in vitro culture supernatant indicating the release of PfTPx-1 during schizont rupture. Altogether, these findings suggest that PfTPx-1 is a promising biomarker to diagnose P. falciparum infection. However, the diagnostic performance of this antigen should be further validated using clinical samples.

New Gold Nanostructures for Sensor Applications: A Review

Gold based structures such as nanoparticles (NPs) and nanowires (NWs) have widely been used as building blocks for sensing devices in chemistry and biochemistry fields because of their unusual optical, electrical and mechanical properties. This article gives a detailed review of the new properties and fabrication methods for gold nanostructures, especially gold nanowires (GNWs), and recent developments for their use in optical and electrochemical sensing tools, such as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).

Colorimetric detection of controlled assembly and disassembly of aptamers on unmodified gold nanoparticles

Aptamers are nucleic acid ligands that are generated artificially by in vitro selection and behave similar to antibodies. The development of aptamer-based sensing systems or strategies has been in vogue for the past few decades, because aptamers are smaller in size, stable, cheaper and undergo easier modifications. Owing to these advantages, several facile aptamer-based colorimetric strategies have been created by controlling the assembly and disassembly of aptamers on unmodified gold nanoparticle probes. As these kinds of assay systems are rapid and can be visualized unaided by instruments, they have recently become an attractive method of choice. The formation of purple-colored aggregates (attraction) from the red dispersed (repulsion) state of GNPs in the presence of mono- or divalent ions is the key principle behind this assay. Due to its simplicity and versatility, this assay can be an alternative to existing diagnostic assays. Here, we have investigated the critical elements involved in colorimetric assays, and have screened different proteins and small ligands to evaluate biofouling on GNPs.

Malaria rapid diagnostic tests: challenges and prospects

In the last decade, there has been an upsurge of interest in developing malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits for the detection of Plasmodium species. Three antigens - Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2), plasmodial aldolase and plasmodial lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) - are currently used for RDTs. Tests targeting HRP2 contribute to more than 90% of the malaria RDTs in current use. However, the specificities, sensitivities, numbers of false positives, numbers of false negatives and temperature tolerances of these tests vary considerably, illustrating the difficulties and challenges facing current RDTs. This paper describes recent developments in malaria RDTs, reviewing RDTs detecting PfHRP2, pLDH and plasmodial aldolase. The difficulties associated with RDTs, such as genetic variability in the Pfhrp2 gene and the persistence of antigens in the bloodstream following the elimination of parasites, are discussed. The prospect of overcoming the problems associated with current RDTs with a new generation of alternative malaria antigen targets is also described.

THE CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY OF GOLD NANOPARTICLE-MEDIATED PHOTOTHERMAL THERAPY: PROMISES AND CHALLENGES

Under laser radiation, cells labeled with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are believed to suffer thermal damage due to the transfer of the absorbed light from the AuNPs to the cells. This process, which involves complex mechanisms such as the rapid electron–phonon decay in the AuNPs , followed by phonon–phonon relaxation, culminates in the localized heating of both the AuNPs and the cells, setting the rational for the use of these nanostructures, under laser light, in cancer photothermal therapy (PTT). Here, we discuss the chemical and biological aspects of this promising new therapeutic approach, including the advantages over conventional cancer therapies and the challenges that scientists still need to overcome to progress toward translation research.

Observations of immuno-gold conjugates on influenza viruses using waveguide-mode sensors

Gold nanoparticles were conjugated to an antibody (immuno-AuNP) against A/Udorn/307/1972 (H3N2) influenza virus to detect viruses on a sensing plate designed for an evanescent field-coupled waveguide-mode sensor. Experiments were conducted using human influenza A/H3N2 strains, and immuno-AuNP could detect 8×10(5) PFU/ml (40 pg/µl) intact A/Udorn/307/1972 and 120 pg/µl A/Brisbane/10/2007. Furthermore, increased signal magnitude was achieved in the presence of non-ionic detergent, as the virtual detection level was increased to 8×10(4) PFU/ml A/Udorn/307/1972. Immuno-AuNPs were then complexed with viruses to permit direct observation, and they formed a ring of confined nanodots on the membrane of both intact and detergent-treated viruses as directly visualized by scanning electron microscopy. With this complex the detection limit was improved further to 8×10(3) PFU/ml on anti-rabbit IgG immobilized sensing plate. These strategies introduce methods for observing trapped intact viruses on the sensing plates generated for optical systems.

Gold nanoparticle-based immuno dual probes for targeting proteomics

Immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry (MS) is a promising technique for targeting proteomics in characterizing submicrograms of target protein and interacting proteins in living cells. This method, however, is limited by interference arising from nonspecific binding. We report a novel gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based immuno probe approach for immunoprecipitation. By cross-linking the antibody Fc domain to protein G covalently modified on AuNPs, the probe was fabricated and characterized to have 60 protein G and 30 immunoglobins per AuNP. We used human immunoglobin against the target and mouse immunoglobin with the same isotype (IgG) to fabricate the target and preclear probe, respectively, and termed it as the dual probe approach. Our results showed that the preclear probe (AuNP-IgG) and the target probe (AuNP-anti-ERα) share a similar panel of nonspecific binders but dramatic different specificity toward the target. Thus, using the dual probe method, we showed major nonspecific binders in the cell lysate could be largely removed without sacrificing the target protein. Compared to the conventional agarose gel-chromatography, the AuNP-based probe exhibited less nonspecific interference and higher recovery yield for ERα. Moreover, the AuNP-based probe is more inert than the agarose gel under harsh conditions and does not induce dissociation of the cross-linked IgG that could interfere with target identification. Using AuNP-based dual probes, ERα was shown to be purified from MCF-7 cells with minimum nonspecific binding. Moreover, the identity and phosphorylation sites on the C-terminus of the purified ERα could be positively confirmed by MS using only 1 mg of cellular protein.

Surface functionalization chemistries on highly sensitive silica-based sensor chips

The surfaces of silica-based sensor chips, designed for evanescent-field-coupled waveguide-mode sensors, were functionalized using various surface chemistries. The immobilization of molecular entities on the functionalized silica surfaces was monitored using various microscopic techniques (scanning electron, fluorescence, and atomic force microscopies). Further, gold nanoparticle-based signal enhancement analyses were performed with protein conjugation on different functionalized surfaces using a waveguide-mode sensor. Based on these analyses, the sensor surfaces modified with glutaraldehyde (Glu) and carbonyldiimidazole were found to be good for molecules of different sizes. In addition, it can be inferred that the Glu-modified surface may be suitable for small molecules with diameters around 5 nm owing to its surface roughness. The modified surface with carbonyldiimidazole is suitable for the direct immobilization of larger molecules especially for biomolecular assemblies without intermediate chemical modifications.

Noble metal nanoparticles for biosensing applications

In the last decade the use of nanomaterials has been having a great impact in biosensing. In particular, the unique properties of noble metal nanoparticles have allowed for the development of new biosensing platforms with enhanced capabilities in the specific detection of bioanalytes. Noble metal nanoparticles show unique physicochemical properties (such as ease of functionalization via simple chemistry and high surface-to-volume ratios) that allied with their unique spectral and optical properties have prompted the development of a plethora of biosensing platforms. Additionally, they also provide an additional or enhanced layer of application for commonly used techniques, such as fluorescence, infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Herein we review the use of noble metal nanoparticles for biosensing strategies—from synthesis and functionalization to integration in molecular diagnostics platforms, with special focus on those that have made their way into the diagnostics laboratory.