A “turn-off” SERS-based detection platform for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin based on enzymatic assays

Rapid nanomolar detection of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in biofluids via electrochemical aptamer-based biosensor

BACKGROUND

The fabrication of sensors capable of achieving rapid, sensitive, and highly selective detection of target molecules in complex fluids is key to realizing their real-world applications. For example, there is an urgent need in drugged driving roadside screening scenarios to develop a method that can be used for rapid drug detection and that avoids interference from the matrix in the sample. How to minimize the interference of complex matrices in biofluids at the electrode interface is the key to improve the sensitivity of the sensor.

RESULTS

This work develops a facile and green method to prepare rough electrodes with a porous structure for constructing electrochemical aptamer-based (EAB) sensors for rapid, sensitive and accurate detection of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in biofluids. The electroactive area of the rough electrode was 21 times of smooth electrode. And the antifouling performance of the rough electrode was much better than that of smooth electrode. Based on the unique advantages of the rough electrode, the developed EAB sensor achieves rapid nanomolar detection of THC in undiluted serum, undiluted urine and 50 % saliva with the detection limit of 5.0 nM, 10 nM and 10 nM, respectively. Moreover, our method possesses good reproducibility, accuracy and specificity.

SIGNIFICANCE

The porous structure can effectively reduce the non-specific adsorption and enhance the stability of the signal, while the larger active area can modify more aptamers, thus improving the sensitivity. The detection limits of the EAB sensor were lower than the cutoff concentration of THC in drugged driving and the measuring process was completed within 60 s after target addition, which makes the present sensors capable for real-world applications.

Simple Nano-Luciferase-Based Assay for the Rapid and High-Throughput Detection of SARS-CoV-2 3C-Like Protease

In this study, we described an easy-to-perform nano-luciferase (nLuc) sensor for the rapid detection of 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) encoded by SARS-CoV-2. The technology is based on the cleavage reaction of recombinant-nLuc via 3CLpro. The nLuc-based assay is a general, one-step method and is naturally specific in detection. The stability, sensitivity, detection range, and response time are fully characterized. The application of 3CLpro detection in artificial and human saliva as well as antiviral drug screening demonstrates that the method can quantify 3CLpro with high sensitivity in one step. With its unique features, the nLuc-based assay may find broad applications in the auxiliary diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, as well as other types of coronavirus infection.

Single-step controlled synthesis of flower-like gold nanoparticles stabilized by chitosan for sensitive detection of heparin using a surface-enhanced Raman scattering method

A novel single-step and template-free procedure, including controlled synthesis of gold flowers (AuNFs), conjugation to a 4-MBA reporter, and stabilization with chitosan, is proposed to develop the SERS tags-based nanoparticles for trace detection of heparin. This SERS detection assay is based on the aggregation/non-aggregation balance of AuNFs-4-MBA@chitosan nanoparticles, which was induced by adding a very low concentration of heparin in the as-synthesized colloidal solutions. SERS-tag colloids are prepared by mixing chitosan with HAuCl₄ and 4-mercapto benzoic acid before being reduced with ascorbic acid under appropriate pH conditions. The formed AuNFs-4-MBA@chitosan nanoparticles were positively charged with high stability and well-dispersed in aqueous media. Based on understanding each reaction component's role in the preparation of the SERS tag colloid, we aim to simplify the controlled synthesis and Raman probe conjugation process. The average size of AuNFs is below 90 nm, fine-tuned in shape and effectively conjugated to the Raman reporter molecules 4-MBA. These as-prepared SERS tag-based AuNFs have good biocompatibility and are virtually non-toxic, as studied with fibroblast and MCF-7 cells. Through these SERS-tag colloids, the trace detection of heparin is improved, with a wide detection window (0.01 to 100 ppm), high reproducibility (RSD value of 3.56%), limit of detection (LOD) of 0.054 ppm, and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.17 ppm. Comparison experiments show that the SERS-tag colloids possess good selectivity over other ions, and organic and amino acid substances. The results provide the capability and the potential for application under complex biological conditions and future biosensing based on SERS signal amplification.

Self-Calibration 3D Hybrid SERS Substrate and Its Application in Quantitative Analysis

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been widely applied in many fields as a sensitive vibrational fingerprint technique. However, SERS faces challenges in quantitative analysis due to the heterogeneity of hot spots. An internal standard (IS) strategy has been employed for correcting the variation of hot spots. However, the method suffers from limitations due to the competitive adsorption between the IS and the target analyte. In this work, we combined the IS strategy with the 3D hybrid nanostructures to develop a bifunctional SERS substrate. The substrate had two functional units. The bottom self-assembly layer consisted of Au@IS@SiO₂ nanoparticles, which provided a stable reference signal and functioned as the calibration unit. The top one consisted of appropriate-sized Au octahedrons for the detection of target analytes, which was the detection unit. Within the 3D hybrid nanostructure, the calibration unit improved the SERS performance of the detection unit, which was demonstrated by the 6-fold increase of SERS intensity when compared with the 2D substrate. Meanwhile, the reproducibility of the detection was greatly improved by correcting the hot spot changes through the calibration unit. Two biomedical molecules of cotinine and creatinine in ultrapure water and artificial urine, respectively, were sensitively determined by the 3D hybrid substrate. We expect that the developed bifunctional 3D substrate will open up new ways to advance the applications of SERS.

"Off-On" typed upconversion fluorescence resonance energy transfer probe for the determination of Cu2+ in tap water

Detection of copper plays a prominent role in the environmental protection and human health. Herein, we firstly design and construct an "off-on" upconversion fluorescence resonance energy transfer (UFRET) probe with low toxicity for the Cu²⁺ determination by using NaYF₄: Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and Au NPs. UCNPs with positive charge and Au NPs with negative charge are respectively employed as the donor and acceptor, and bound together to form UFRET probe. The upconversion fluorescence quenching of UCNPs occurs by Au NPs through FRET (defined as "off" state). When Cu²⁺ exists in samples, Cu²⁺ reacts with 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) capped on the surface of Au NPs to make Au NPs detach from UCNPs, leading to the termination of FRET and the recovery of upconversion fluorescence (defined as "on" state). "Off-on" typed UFRET probe has excellent sensing performances, including linear range of 0.02-1 μM Cu²⁺ concentration, the limit of detection of 18.2 nM, high selectivity to Cu²⁺ and good recovery. The probe has been successfully used to determine Cu²⁺ in spiked tap water with satisfactory results. The probe will provide theoretical and technical support for the design of new sensitive heavy metal ion detection probe.

A review of aptamer-based SERS biosensors: Design strategies and applications

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, due to its high sensitivity, unique vibrational fingerprint identification of molecules and easy operation, has been extensively applied in different fields. Aptamers, being the unique single stranded DNA/RNA sequences that can specifically recognize and seize the target analytes, combined with Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), can offer potent multiplex detection capacity with high specificity and sensitivity. In this review, we summarize and classify the general working strategies of different types of aptamer-based SERS biosensors with diversified protocols which either take aptamer conformational change as intrinsic reporter, or make use of various extrinsic Raman reporters in different sensor designs via on/off approach, sandwich-type and magnetic nanoparticles (NPs)-assisted approach, and catalytic reaction assisted approach with amplification of alternative Raman signals. The advantages, applications and perspectives of these aptamer-based SERS biosensors are also discussed.

Proximity hybridization triggered hybridization chain reaction for label-free electrochemical homogeneous aptasensors

A label-free homogeneous electrochemical aptasensor was developed for detection of thrombin based on proximity hybridization triggered hybridization chain reaction induced G-quadruplex formation. Thrombin promoted the formation of a complex via the proximity hybridization of the aptamer DNA strands, which unfolded the molecular beacon, the stem part of molecular beacon as a primer to initiate the hybridization chain reaction process. Thus, with the electrochemical indicator hemin selectively intercalated into the multiple G-quadruplexes, a significant electrochemical signal drop is observed, which is dependent on the concentration of the target thrombin. Thus, using this"signal-off" mode, label-free homogeneous electrochemical strategy for sensitive thrombin assay with a detection limit of 44 fM is realized. Furthermore, this method also exhibits additional advantages of simplicity and low cost, since both expensive labeling and sophisticated probe immobilization processes are avoided. Its high sensitivity, acceptable accuracy, and satisfactory versatility of analytes led to various applications in bioanalysis.

A straightforward and reliable evaluation of Ag(I) binding affinity mediated by a peptide ligand for constructing an efficient sensing platform

The reliable determination of the Ag(I) affinity for biomolecules is an essential issue in the fields of structural analysis and sensor design. However, the urgent problem confronting researchers is lack of a direct and accurate Ag(I) affinity evaluation as a reference standard for ligand analysis. We communicated here a straightforward and high-efficiency method of measuring Ag(I) affinity exactly on the basis of the unique calculation algorithm and the design of a special peptide RFPRDD (P) as Ag(I) binding motif. According to UV-vis competition between the corresponding complexes (AgP) and biomolecules (peptides, amino acids and ssDNA), the decrease of the signature at 300 nm characteristic of AgP was obtained for quantitative analysis. The primary advantages of this strategy were the widespread application, high accuracy and reference significance, which were corroborated by theoretical calculations. To identify its potential in biosensing, two kinds of testing models for Ag(I) were proposed by AgBP2-decorated and Ag4-decorated gold nanoparticles, the detection limits of which were 2 nM and 75 nM respectively. By contrast of the sensing property of the functional peptides (AgBP2, Ag4), we afforded evidence that this conception could be regarded as an evaluation criterion for the selection and performance optimization of sensitive elements, thereby holding a dominant position in the biosensors.

Nanomaterial-based aptamer sensors for analysis of illicit drugs and evaluation of drugs consumption for wastewater-based epidemiology

The abuse of illicit drugs usually associated with dramatic crimes may cause significant problems for the whole society. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been demonstrated to be a novel and cost-effective way to evaluate the abuse of illicit drugs at the community level, and has been used as a routine method for monitoring and played a significant role for combating the crimes in some countries, e.g. China. The method can also provide temporal and spatial variation of drugs of abuse. The detection methods mainly remain on the conventional liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, which is extremely sensitive and selective, however needs advanced facility and well-trained personals, thus limit it in the lab. As an alternative, sensors have emerged to be a powerful analytical tool for a wide spectrum of analytes, in particular aptamer sensors (aptasensors) have attracted increasing attention and could act as an efficient tool in this field due to the excellent characteristics of selectivity, sensitivity, low cost, miniaturization, easy-to-use, and automation. In this review, we will briefly introduce the context, specific assessment process and applications of WBE and the recent progress of illicit drug aptasensors, in particular focusing on optical and electrochemical sensors. We then highlight several recent aptasensors for illicit drugs in new technology integration and discuss the feasibility of these aptasensor for WBE. We will summarize the challenges and propose our insights and opportunity on aptasensor for WBE to evaluate community-wide drug use trends and public health.

Waveguide-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy detection of protease activity using non-natural aromatic amino acids

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a selective and sensitive technique, which allows for the detection of protease activity by monitoring the cleavage of peptide substrates. Commonly used free-space based SERS substrates, however, require the use of bulky and expensive instrumentation, limiting their use to laboratory environments. An integrated photonics approach aims to implement various free-space optical components to a reliable, mass-reproducible and cheap photonic chip. We here demonstrate integrated SERS detection of trypsin activity using a nanoplasmonic slot waveguide as a waveguide-based SERS substrate. Despite the continuously improving SERS performance of the waveguide-based SERS substrates, they currently still do not reach the SERS enhancements of free-space substrates. To mitigate this, we developed an improved peptide substrate in which we incorporated the non-natural aromatic amino acid 4-cyano-phenylalanine, which provides a high intrinsic SERS signal. The use of non-natural aromatics is expected to extend the possibilities for multiplexing measurements, where the activity of several proteases can be detected simultaneously.

Synthesis and SERS application of gold and iron oxide functionalized bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (Au@Fe3O4@BCNCs)

Bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNCs) are biocompatible cellulose nanomaterials that can host guest nanoparticles to form hybrid nanocomposites with a wide range of applications. Herein, we report the synthesis of a hybrid nanocomposite that consists of plasmonic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles supported on BCNCs. As a proof of concept, the hybrid nanocomposites were employed to isolate and detect malachite green isothiocyanate (MGITC) via magnetic separation and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Different initial gold precursor (Au3+) concentrations altered the size and morphology of the AuNPs formed on the nanocomposites. The use of 5 and 10 mM Au3+ led to a heterogenous mix of spherical and nanoplate AuNPs with increased SERS enhancements, as compared to the more uniform AuNPs formed using 1 mM Au3+. Rapid and sensitive detection of MGITC at concentrations as low as 10-10 M was achieved. The SERS intensity of the normalized Raman peak at 1175 cm-1 exhibited a log-linear relationship for MGITC concentrations between 2 × 10-10 and 2 × 10-5 M for Au@Fe3O4@BCNCs. These results suggest the potential of these hybrid nanocomposites for application in a broad range of analyte detection strategies.

A fluorometric assay of thrombin using magnetic nanoparticles and enzyme-free hybridization chain reaction

A fluorescence method based on functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (FMNPs) and hybridization chain reaction (HCR) is developed for the enzyme-free amplified determination of thrombin. In the proposed design, aptamer against thrombin was hybridized with the capture DNA-modified magnetic nanoparticles to yield the FMNPs. In the presence of thrombin, aptamers are released due to the specific and high-affinity binding between thrombin and its aptamer. The exposed capture DNA subsequently hybridized with the partial sequence of helper DNA, and the vacant sequence of helper DNA further hybridized with HCR products which is pre-formed by the alternate hybridization of single-stranded DNAs (H1 and H2). The immobilized HCR products were then labeled with YOYO-1 for fluorescence measurement. Fluorescence signal intensity of labeled YOYO-1 was measured at an emission wavelength of 519 nm (excitation under 488 nm) and used for calibration. By taking advantage of HCR amplification, this direct assay strategy showed a linear response in the 20- to 200-pM concentration range, and the limit of detection is 9.2 pM which is about 3-orders of magnitude lower than the serum thrombin concentration (10 nM) that triggers blood clotting. This developed method can efficiently differentiate the target protein from a protein matrix, and it is verified by determination of thrombin in spiked serum samples with recoveries in the range of 94.5-103.3%. Graphical abstract A fluorometry method for thrombin detection using magnetic nanoparticles and enzyme-free hybridization chain reaction.

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.

Analysis of Biomolecules Based on the Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Analyzing biomolecules is essential for disease diagnostics, food safety inspection, environmental monitoring and pharmaceutical development. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful tool for detecting biomolecules due to its high sensitivity, rapidness and specificity in identifying molecular structures. This review focuses on the SERS analysis of biomolecules originated from humans, animals, plants and microorganisms, combined with nanomaterials as SERS substrates and nanotags. Recent advances in SERS detection of target molecules were summarized with different detection strategies including label-free and label-mediated types. This comprehensive and critical summary of SERS analysis of biomolecules might help researchers from different scientific backgrounds spark new ideas and proposals.

SERS Sensors: Recent Developments and a Generalized Classification Scheme Based on the Signal Origin

Owing to its extreme sensitivity and easy execution, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) now finds application for a wide variety of problems requiring sensitive and targeted analyte detection. This widespread application has prompted a proliferation of different SERS-based sensors, suggesting the need for a framework to classify existing methods and guide the development of new techniques. After a brief discussion of the general SERS modalities, we classify SERS-based sensors according the origin of the signal. Three major categories emerge from this analysis: surface-affinity strategy, SERS-tag strategy, and probe-mediated strategy. For each case, we describe the mechanism of action, give selected examples, and point out general misconceptions to aid the construction of new devices. We hope this review serves as a useful tutorial guide and helps readers to better classify and design practical and effective SERS-based sensors.

Multifunctional Photonic Nanomaterials for Diagnostic, Therapeutic, and Theranostic Applications

The last decade has seen dramatic progress in the principle, design, and fabrication of photonic nanomaterials with various optical properties and functionalities. Light-emitting and light-responsive nanomaterials, such as semiconductor quantum dots, plasmonic metal nanoparticles, organic carbon, and polymeric nanomaterials, offer promising approaches to low-cost and effective diagnostic, therapeutic, and theranostic applications. Reasonable endeavors have begun to translate some of the promising photonic nanomaterials to the clinic. Here, current research on the state-of-the-art and emerging photonic nanomaterials for diverse biomedical applications is reviewed, and the remaining challenges and future perspectives are discussed.

Nanotechnology-Enhanced No-Wash Biosensors for in Vitro Diagnostics of Cancer

In vitro biosensors have been an integral component for early diagnosis of cancer in the clinic. Among them, no-wash biosensors, which only depend on the simple mixing of the signal generating probes and the sample solution without additional washing and separation steps, have been found to be particularly attractive. The outstanding advantages of facile, convenient, and rapid response of no-wash biosensors are especially suitable for point-of-care testing (POCT). One fast-growing field of no-wash biosensor design involves the usage of nanomaterials as signal amplification carriers or direct signal generating elements. The analytical capacity of no-wash biosensors with respect to sensitivity or limit of detection, specificity, stability, and multiplexing detection capacity is largely improved because of their large surface area, excellent optical, electrical, catalytic, and magnetic properties. This review provides a comprehensive overview of various nanomaterial-enhanced no-wash biosensing technologies and focuses on the analysis of the underlying mechanism of these technologies applied for the early detection of cancer biomarkers ranging from small molecules to proteins, and even whole cancerous cells. Representative examples are selected to demonstrate the proof-of-concept with promising applications for in vitro diagnostics of cancer. Finally, a brief discussion of common unresolved issues and a perspective outlook on the field are provided.

G-quadruplex–hemin DNAzyme molecular beacon probe for the detection of methamphetamine

In this work, a simple, cost-effective, and label-free biosensor was constructed for methamphetamine (METH) detection.

Three label-free thrombin aptasensors based on aptamers and [Ru(bpy)2(o-mopip)]2+

The label free aptasensor based on an aptamer pair and [Ru(bpy)₂(o-mopip)]²⁺–GO has been successfully applied to sandwich assays for thrombin detection.

A SERS-based lateral flow assay biosensor for highly sensitive detection of HIV-1 DNA

User-friendly lateral flow (LF) strips have been extensively used for point-of-care (POC) self-diagnostics, but they have some limitations in their detection sensitivity and quantitative analysis because they only identify the high cut-off value of a biomarker by utilizing color changes that are detected with the naked eye. To resolve these problems associated with LF strips, we developed a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based LF assay for the quantitative analysis of a specific biomarker in the low concentration range. Herein, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) DNA was chosen as the specific biomarker. Raman reporter-labeled gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were employed as SERS nano tags for targeting and detecting the HIV-1 DNA marker, as opposed to using bare AuNPs in LF strips. It was possible to quantitatively analyze HIV-1 DNA with high sensitivity by monitoring the characteristic Raman peak intensity of the DNA-conjugated AuNPs. Under optimized conditions, the detection limit of our SERS-based lateral flow assay was 0.24 pg/mL, which was at least 1000 times more sensitive compared to colorimetric or fluorescent detection methods. These results demonstrate the potential feasibility of the proposed SERS-based lateral flow assay to quantitatively detect a broad range of genetic diseases with high sensitivity.

A General Method for Solvent Exchange of Plasmonic Nanoparticles and Self-Assembly into SERS-Active Monolayers

We present a general route for the transfer of Au and Ag nanoparticles of different shapes and sizes, from water into various organic solvents. The experimental conditions for each type of nanoparticles were optimized by using a combination of thiolated poly(ethylene glycol) and a hydrophobic capping agent, such as dodecanethiol. The functionalized nanoparticles were readily transferred into organic dispersions with long-term stability (months). Such organic dispersions efficiently spread out on water, leading to self-assembly at the air/liquid interface into extended nanoparticle arrays which could in turn be transferred onto solid substrates. The dense close packing in the obtained nanoparticle monolayers results in extensive plasmon coupling, rendering them efficient substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy.

Up-conversion fluorescence "off-on" switch based on heterogeneous core-satellite assembly for thrombin detection

NaGdF4: Yb, Er nanoparticles, with up-conversion (UC) fluorescence, were used for the first time to build an "off-on" switch based on Au core-UC satellites for thrombin detection. We fabricated the fluorescence sensor using thrombin aptamer modified Au core and complementary sequence modified UC satellites in liquid phase. With optimized assembled conditions, the yield of Au core-UC satellites achieved 80%. The fluorescence of UC nanoparticles quenched when satellite NP attached to Au core NP. Thrombin aptamer on the surface of Au core would bind to targets when thrombin existed in the system, then UC satellites were released and the quenched fluorescence recovered. The sensor showed high specificity for thrombin compared with other biomolecules and the limit of detection reached 3.5 fg/mL. Application of this sensor to detect targets in human serum also achieved satisfactory results. The purpose of this work was to build an ultrasensitive sensor based on Au core-UC satellites for thrombin detection in human serum to achieve diagnosis of diseases.

Nanostructured sensors for biomedical applications--a current perspective

Nanostructured sensors have unique capabilities that can be tailored to advantage in advancing the diagnosis, monitoring and cure of several diseases and health conditions. This report aims at providing a current perspective on, (a) the emerging clinical needs that defines the challenges to be addressed by nanostructured sensors, with specific emphasis on early stage diagnosis, drug-diagnostic combinations, and predictive models to design therapy, (b) the emerging industry trends in in vitro diagnostics, mobile health care, high-throughput molecular and cell-based diagnostic platforms, and (c) recent instances of nanostructured biosensors, including promising sensing concepts that can be enhanced using nanostructures that carry high promise towards catering to the emerging clinical needs, as well as the market/industry trends.

Silver nanoparticle enhanced Raman scattering-based lateral flow immunoassays for ultra-sensitive detection of the heavy metal chromium

We report a simple and ultra-sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) strip sensor based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs). LFIAs are inexpensive, simple, portable and robust, thus making them commonplace in medicine, agriculture and food safety. However, their applications are limited due to the low signal intensity of the color-formation reaction based on the label accumulation. SERS is a powerful molecular spectroscopy technique for ultra-detection, which is based on the enhancement of the inelastic scattering from molecules located near nanostructured metallic surfaces when the molecules are illuminated and the surface plasmons are excited. Because of the rapidity and robustness of LFIAs and the high sensitivity of SERS, we introduce SERS into LFIAs (SERS-LFIA). Our SERS-LFIA demonstrates fast, excellent performance and is suitable for the semiquantitative examination of ultratrace analytes (Cr(3+)), with the limit of the detection (LOD) as low as 10(-5) ng mL(-1), which is 10(5)-fold more highly sensitive than those previously used to detect Cr(3+) within 15 min.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanoprobes for cellular sensing

The fabrication of 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) antibody-functionalized gold nanoparticles via microwave technology for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based cellular nanosensing is reported. Nanoprobes were characterized by UV-vis absorbance, Raman scattering properties, and observed by TEM imaging. Results showed that microwave irradiation rapidly yielded nanoprobes with significant Raman scattering intensity and suitable stability to support antibody conjugation in under 10min. Functionalized nanoprobes demonstrated the ability to map the expression of vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in human coronary artery endothelial (HCAE) cells, indicating that microwave fabrication presents a viable and rapid approach to SERS nanoprobe construction. The successful application of SERS nanoprobes to localize biomarker expression in vitro may ultimately be used for early diagnostic and preventative functions in medicine.

Signal amplification for thrombin impedimetric aptasensor: sandwich protocol and use of gold-streptavidin nanoparticles

In this work, we report a highly specific amplification strategy demonstrated for the ultrasensitive biosensing of thrombin with the use of gold-streptavidin nanoparticles (strep-AuNPs) and silver reduction enhancement. The biotinylated aptamer of thrombin was immobilized onto an avidin-graphite epoxy composite (AvGEC) electrode surface by affinity interaction between biotin and avidin; electrochemical impedance measurements were performed in a solution containing the redox marker ferrocyanide/ferricyanide. The change in interfacial charge transfer resistance (Rct) experimented by the redox marker, was recorded to confirm aptamer complex formation with target protein, thrombin (Thr), in a label-free first stage. A biotinylated second thrombin aptamer, with complementary recognition properties was then used in a sandwich approach. The addition of strep-AuNPs and silver enhancement treatment led to a further increment of Rct thus obtaining significant signal amplification. The AptThrBio1-Thr-AptThrBio2 sandwich formation was inspected by confocal microcopy after incubation with streptavidin quantum dots. In order to visualize the presence of gold nanoparticles, the same silver enhancement treatment was applied to electrodes already modified with the nanoparticle-sandwich conjugate, allowing direct observation by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed high sensitivity and selectivity for thrombin detection, with an improvement from ca. 4.7 pM in a simple assay to 0.3 pM in the amplified reported scheme.

Nanomaterials for ultrasensitive protein detection

The advances of nanomaterials have provided exciting technologies and novel materials for protein detection, based on the unique properties associated with nanoscale phenomena such as plasmon resonance, catalysis and energy transfer. This article reviews a series of nanomaterials including nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanowires, and nanosheets, and evaluates their performances in the application for protein detection, focusing on approaches that realize ultrasensitive detection. Many of these nanomaterials were used to analyze clinically relevant protein biomarkers. Their detection in the picomolar, femtomolar or even zeptomolar regime has been realized, sometimes even with naked-eye readout. We summarize the detection methods and results according to materials and targets, review the current challenges, and discuss the solution in the context of technological integration such as combining nanomaterials with microfluidics, and classical analytical technologies.