A rapid and sensitive chemiluminescence immunoassay based on magnetic particles for squamous cell carcinoma antigen in human serum

Identification of p72 epitopes of African swine fever virus and preliminary application

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a highly lethal hemorrhagic viral disease (ASF) of pigs that results in serious losses in China and elsewhere. The development of a vaccine and diagnosis technology for ASFV is essential to prevent and control the spread of ASF. The p72 protein of ASFV is highly immunogenic and reactive, and is a dominant antigen in ASF vaccine and diagnostic research. In this study, 17 p72 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated. Epitope mapping by a series of overlapping peptides expressed in Escherichia coli showed that these mAbs recognized a total of seven (1-7) linear B cell epitopes. These mAbs did not show significant neutralizing activity. Epitopes 1 (²⁴⁹HKPHQSKPIL²⁵⁸), 2 (⁶⁹PVGFEYENKV⁷⁷), 5 (¹⁹⁵VNGNSLDEYSS²⁰⁵), and 7 (²²³GYKHLVGQEV²³³) are novel. Sequence alignment analysis revealed that the identified epitopes were highly conserved among 27 ASFV strains from nine genotypes. Preliminary screening using known positive and negative sera indicated the diagnostic potential of mAb-2B8D7. The results provide new insights into the antigenic regions of ASFV p72 and will inform the diagnosis of ASFV.

Development of a sensitive and stable chemiluminescent immunoassay for detection of birch pollen allergic specific IgE based on recombinant Bet v1 protein

Background Quantitative detection of allergens is of great significance for clarifying the cause, treatment, and prevention of allergy disease. Birch pollen is one of the most common inhalational allergens and Bet v1 is the major component allergen of birch allergen. This study aims to develop a stable and sensitive chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) for the detection of birch pollen allergic specific IgE (sIgE) based on recombinant Bet v1 (rBet v1) protein. Methods rBet v1 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Then rBet v1 was applied to detect sIgE in human serum. The performance of the established CLIA was evaluated and compared with Phadia rBet v1 fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (FEIA) system. Results The developed CLIA for sIgE to rBet v1 detection shows excellent performance. The assay showed a linear range from 0.1 to 100 IU/mL, with a low detection limit of 0.06 IU/mL. A total of 164 samples were evaluated by CLIA and compared with the results of FEIA. The positive, negative, and total coincidence rate was 90.6% (87/96), 91.2% (62/68), and 90.9% (149/164), respectively. The r-value of Spearman's rank correlation analysis was 0.935 (P < 0.001). The use of high levels of bilirubin (50 mg/dL), hemoglobin (400 mg/dL) and lipid (2000 mg/dL) didn't interfere with the results. Conclusions The proposed CLIA exhibits excellent performance for the detection of rBet v1 specific IgE. It can be a reliable tool for the early diagnosis of hypersensitivity.

A Novel Controlled Release Immunosensor based on Benzimidazole Functionalized SiO2 and Cyclodextrin Functionalized Gold

A novel controlled release system-based sandwich-type immunosensor is fabricated to detect squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA). The 1-methyl-1H-benzimidazole functionalized mesoporous SiO₂ (MBI-MS) is used to load methylene blue (MB). β-cyclodextrin functionalized gold (CD-Au) is introduced as the gatekeeper for encapsulating MB and capturing the adamantly functional detection antibody (ADA-Ab₂). And pH stimulus serves as the trigger system to control the MB release. After the load of MB, the CD-Au blocks the pores of the MBI-MS by the host-guest interaction in the neutral condition. However, when the pH is below 7.0, CD-Au is separated from the surface of MBI-MS owing to the protonation of the aromatic amines. The encapsulated MB is released from the pores of MBI-MS and detected by square wave voltammetry. The controlled release immunosensor shows a relatively wide linear range from 0.001 to 20 ng·mL⁻¹ with a low detection limit of 0.25 pg·mL⁻¹. The immunosensor also shows good reproducibility and selectivity, which endows it broad application prospect in clinical research.

Evaluation of a magnetic particles-based chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay for Golgi protein 73 in human serum

BACKGROUND

Golgi protein 73 (GP73) is regarded as a potential serum biomarker for early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We developed a rapid magnetic particles-based chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (MPs-CLEIA) for the determination of serum GP73.

METHODS

Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were used to label 2 different monoclonal antibodies to GP73. Serum GP73 was captured with labeled antibodies and formed a sandwiched immunoreaction. The magnetic particles (MPs) coated with anti-FITC antibody were used as a means of separation of the GP73 protein from other serum proteins. After adding the enzyme substrate solution, the relative light unit (RLU) was measured. A MPs-CLEIA for serum GP73 was established and evaluated.

RESULTS

The RLU was directly proportional to the concentration of GP73. The method linearity was 5-600 μg/l. Limit of the blank was 2.19 μg/l. The intra- and inter-assay imprecision was <3% and <5%, respectively. The average recoveries were between 95% and 105%. The proposed method showed a good correlation with a commercial ELISA assay (r=0.983, p<0.001). We also evaluated the efficiency of serum GP73 measurement for the diagnosis of HCC using this assay. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.822 (95% CI, 0.73-0.89), and the sensitivity and specificity, with cut-off value of 115.6 μg/l, were 75.4% and 92.1%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed method demonstrates an acceptable performance for quantifying serum GP73. This assay could be appropriate for routine use in clinical laboratories.

A sensitive electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of squamous cell carcinoma antigen by using PtAu nanoparticles loaded on TiO2colloidal spheres as labels

A sensitive sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor for detection of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) was developed by using PtAu nanoparticles loaded on TiO₂colloidal spheres (PtAu/TiO₂) as secondary-antibody (Ab₂) labels.

A reusable localized surface plasmon resonance biosensor for quantitative detection of serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen in cervical cancer patients based on silver nanoparticles array

Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCa), as a tumor biomarker, plays an important role in adjuvant diagnosis, treatment evaluation, and prognosis prediction for cervical cancer patients. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) technique based on noble metal nanoparticles bypasses the disadvantages of traditional testing strategies, in terms of free-labeling, short assay time, good sensitivity, and selectivity. Herein, we develop a novel and reusable LSPR biosensor for the detection of SCCa. First, a triangle-shaped silver nanoparticle array was fabricated using the nanosphere lithography method. Next, we investigated and verified the feasibility of amino coupling method using 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) to form a functionalized chip surface with monoclonal anti-SCCa antibodies on the silver nanoparticles for distinct detection of SCCa. Different concentrations of SCCa were successfully tested in both buffer and human serum by the ultrasensitive and specific LSPR system, with a linear quantitative detection range of 0.1–1,000 pM under optimal conditions. With appropriate regeneration solution, for example 50 mM glycine-HCl (pH 2.0), the LSPR biosensor featured effective fabrication reproducibility, which reduced both production cost and testing time. Our study represents the first application of the LSPR biosensor in cervical cancer, and demonstrates that the rapid, simple, and reusable nanochip can serve as a potential alternative for clinical serological diagnosis of SCCa in cervical cancer patients.

Influence of the physical and chemical properties of magnetic nanoparticles on their performance in a chemiluminescence immunoassay

OBJECTIVES

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are important carriers in immunoassays. In this study, we investigated the influence of the physical and chemical properties of MNPs on their performance in a detection process.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A comparative study of the properties of two MNPs with sizes of 200nm and 1μm (MNP-200nm and MNP-1μm, respectively) was conducted using the following four aspects: nonspecific adsorption to proteins (IgG was used as a model protein), influence of magnetic nanoparticles on the chemiluminescence signal, response speed to an external magnetic field, and intensity of the detection signal.

RESULTS

MNP-1μm exhibited lower nonspecific adsorption to IgG in serum, a weaker interference with the chemiluminescence signal, and a higher response speed to the external magnetic field than the same amount of MNP-200nm. An automated chemiluminescence immunoassay system based on MNP-1μm was also established.

CONCLUSIONS

MNP-1μm acts as an excellent carrier in an automated chemiluminescence immunoassay system for the analysis of serum samples from clinical patients.

Development of a rapid and high-performance chemiluminescence immunoassay based on magnetic particles for protein S100B in human serum

Protein S100B is a clinically useful non-invasive biomarker for brain cell damage. A rapid chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) for S100B in human serum has been developed. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and N-(aminobutyl)-N-(ethylisoluminol) (ABEI) are used to label two different monoclonal antibodies of anti-S100B. Protein S100B in serum combines with labeled antibodies and can form a sandwiched immunoreaction. A simplified separation procedure based on the use of magnetic particles (MPs) that were coated with anti-FITC antibody is performed to remove the unwanted materials. After adding the substrate solution, the relative light unit (RLU) of ABEI is measured and is found to be directly proportional to the concentration of S100B in serum. The relevant variables involved in the CLIA signals are optimized and the parameters of the proposed method are evaluated. The results demonstrate that the method is linear to 25 ng/mL S100B with a detection limit of 0.02 ng/mL. The coefficient of variation (CV) is < 5% and < 6% for intra- and interassay precision, respectively. The average recoveries are between 97 and 107%. The linearity-dilution effect produces a linear correlation coefficient of 0.9988. Compared with the commercial kit, the proposed method shows a correlation of 0.9897. The proposed method displays acceptable performance for quantification of S100B and is appropriate for use in clinical diagnosis.

Comparison of 1-Ethyl-3-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl) Carbodiimide Based Strategies to Crosslink Antibodies on Amine-Functionalized Platforms for Immunodiagnostic Applications

1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) alone, and in combination with N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) or sulfoNHS were employed for crosslinking anti-human fetuin A (HFA) antibodies on 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)-functionalized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) gold chip and 96-well microtiter plate. The SPR immunoassay and sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent immunoassay (ELISA) for HFA clearly demonstrated that EDC crosslinks anti-HFA antibodies to APTES-functionalized bioanalytical platforms more efficiently than EDC/NHS and EDC/sulfoNHS at a normal pH of 7.4. Similar results were obtained by sandwich ELISAs for human Lipocalin-2 and human albumin, and direct ELISA for horseradish peroxidase. The more efficient crosslinking of antibodies by EDC to the APTES-functionalized platforms increased the cost-effectiveness and analytical performance of our immunoassays. This study will be of wide interest to researchers developing immunoassays on APTES-functionalized platforms that are being widely used in biomedical diagnostics, biosensors, lab-on-a-chip and point-of-care-devices. It stresses a critical need of an intensive investigation into the mechanisms of EDC-based amine-carboxyl coupling under various experimental conditions.