Aptamer-Assisted Protein Orientation on Silver Magnetic Nanoparticles: Application to Sensitive Leukocyte Cell-Derived Chemotaxin 2 Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors

Repurposing Fc gamma receptor I (FcγRI, CD64) for site-oriented monoclonal antibody capture: A proof-of-concept study for real-time detection of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF -α)

The controlled orientation of biomolecules on the sensor surface is crucial for achieving high sensitivity and accurate detection of target molecules in biosensing. FcγRI is an immune cell surface receptor for recognizing IgG-coated targets, such as opsonized pathogens or immune complexes. It plays a crucial role in T cell activation and internalization of the cargos, leading downstream signaling cascades. In this study, we repurposed the FcγRI as an analytical ligand molecule for site-oriented ADA capture, a monoclonal antibody-based biosimilar drug, on a plasmonic sensor surface and demonstrated the real-time detection of the corresponding analyte molecule, TNF-α. The study encompasses the analysis of comparative ligand behaviors on the surface, biosensor kinetics, concentration-dependent studies, and sensor specificity assays. The findings of this study suggest that FcγRI has a significant potential to serve as a universal ligand molecule for site-specific monoclonal antibody capture, and it can be used for biosensing studies, as it represents low nanomolar range affinity and excellent selectivity towards the target. However, there is still room for improvement in the surface stability and sensing response, and further studies are needed to reveal its performance on the monoclonal antibodies with various antigen binding sites and glycoforms.

Perspectives and trends in advanced optical and electrochemical biosensors based on engineered peptides

With the advancement of life medicine, in vitro diagnostics (IVD) technology has become an auxiliary tool for early diagnosis of diseases. However, biosensors for IVD now face some disadvantages such as poor targeting, significant antifouling properties, low density of recognized molecules, and poor stability. In recent years, peptides have been demonstrated to have various functions in unnatural biological systems, such as targeting properties, antifouling properties, and self-assembly properties, which indicates that peptides can be engineered. These properties of peptides, combined with their good biocompatibility, can be well applied to the design of biosensors to solve the problems mentioned above. This review provides an overview of the properties of engineered functional peptides and their applications in enhancing biosensor performance, mainly in the field of optics and electrochemistry.

Rational Design of Trident Aptamer Scaffold for Rapid and Accurate Monitoring of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Metabolism in Living Cells

The level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ [25(OH)VD3] in human blood is considered as the best indicator of vitamin D status, and its deficiency or excess can lead to various health problems. Current methods for monitoring 25(OH)VD3 metabolism in living cells have limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity and are often expensive and time-consuming. To address these issues, an innovative trident scaffold-assisted aptasensor (TSA) system has been developed for the online quantitative monitoring of 25(OH)VD3 in complex biological environments. Through the computer-aided design, the TSA system includes an aptamer molecule recognition layer that is uniformly oriented, maximizing binding site availability, and enhancing sensitivity. The TSA system achieved the direct, highly sensitive, and selective detection of 25(OH)VD3 over a wide concentration range (17.4-12,800 nM), with a limit of detection of 17.4 nM. Moreover, we evaluated the efficacy of the system in monitoring the biotransformation of 25(OH)VD3 in human liver cancer cells (HepG2) and normal liver cells (L-02), demonstrating its potential as a platform for drug-drug interaction studies and candidate drug screening.

Nanostructured surface plasmon resonance sensors: Toward narrow linewidths

Surface plasmon resonance sensors have found wide applications in optical sensing field due to their excellent sensitivity to the slight refractive index change of surrounding medium. However, the intrinsically high optical losses in metals make it nontrivial to obtain narrow resonance spectra, which greatly limits the performance of surface plasmon resonance sensors. This review first introduces the influence factors of plasmon linewidths of metallic nanostructures. Then, various approaches to achieve narrow resonance linewidths are summarized, including the fabrication of nanostructured surface plasmon resonance sensors supporting surface lattice resonance/plasmonic Fano resonance or coupling with a photonic cavity, the preparation of surface plasmon resonance sensors with ultra-narrow resonators, as well as strategies such as platform-induced modification, alternating different dielectric layers, and the coupling with whispering-gallery-modes. Lastly, the applications and some existing challenges of surface plasmon resonance sensors are discussed. This review aims to provide guidance for the further development of nanostructured surface plasmon resonance sensors.

Current strategies of plasmonic nanoparticles assisted surface-enhanced Raman scattering toward biosensor studies

With the progressive nanofabrication technology, plasmonic nanoparticles (PNPs) have been increasingly deployed in the field of biosensing. PNPs have favorable biocompatibility, conductivity, and tunable optical properties. In addition, the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of PNPs plays a vital role in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). PNPs-based SERS biosensing enables wide-ranging applications for sensitive detection and high spatial and temporal resolution imaging. Numerous reviews of PNPs in the field of SERS biosensing highlight the fabrication or applications in one or more fields. However, the specific strategies for the SERS biosensor construction had not been summarized systematically. Thus, this work offers a comprehensive overview of SERS enhancement strategies based on PNPs, with a focus on SERS label-free detection along with label detection sensing construction, as well as its challenges and future trends.

The green synthesis of environmentally friendly magnetic silver complex stabilized on MnCoFe2O4@sodium alginate nanoparticles (MCF@S-ALG/Ag) and evaluation of their antibacterial activity

Magnetic nanoparticles with green cover sodium alginate and Ag, MnCoFe₂O₄@Sodium alginate/Ag (MCF@S-ALG/Ag) MNPs were prepared by a simple and clean method from Sargassum Vulgare brown algae. The structure of these nanoparticles was characterized by the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of MCF@S-ALG/Ag MNPs was tested for two bacteria of gram-negative (Escherichia coli (E. coli)) bacteria and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)) bacteria. The MCF@S-ALG/Ag MNPs showed the inhibition zone 16.32 mm for S. aureus and 12.84 mm for E. coli bacteria. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of MCF@S-ALG/Ag MNPs for both bacteria were found 20 µg/mL and 40 µg/mL, respectively.

Characterization of FcγRIa (CD64) as a Ligand Molecule for Site-Specific IgG1 Capture: A Side-By-Side Comparison with Protein A

Fc γ receptors (FcγRs) are one of the structures that can initiate effector function for monoclonal antibodies. FcγRIa has the highest affinity toward IgG1-type monoclonal antibodies among all FcγRs. In this study, a comprehensive characterization was performed for FcγRIa as a potential affinity ligand for IgG1-type monoclonal antibody binding. The binding interactions were assessed with the SPR technique using different immobilization techniques such as EDC-NHS coupling, streptavidin-biotin interaction, and His-tagged FcγRIa capture. The His-tagged FcγRIa capture was the most convenient method based on assay repeatability. Next, a crude IgG1 sample and its fractions with different monomer contents obtained from protein A affinity chromatography were used to evaluate FcγRIa protein in terms of monoclonal antibody binding capacity. The samples were also compared with a protein A-immobilized chip (a frequently used affinity ligand) for IgG1 binding responses. The antibody binding capacity of the protein A-immobilized chip surface was significantly better than that of the FcγRIa-immobilized chip surface due to its 5 Ig binding domains. The antibody binding responses changed similarly with protein A depending on the monomer content of the sample. Finally, a different configuration was used to assess the binding affinity of free FcγRs (FcγRIa, FcγRIIa, and FcγRIIIa) to three different immobilized IgGs by immobilizing protein L to the chip surface. Unlike previous immobilization techniques tested where the FcγRIa was utilized as a ligand, nonimmobilized or free FcγRIa resulted in a significantly higher antibody binding response than free protein A. In this configuration, kinetics data of FcγRI revealed that the association rate (k_a 50-80 × 10⁵ M^-1 s^-1) increased in comparison to His capture method (1.9-2.4 × 10⁵ M^-1 s^-1). In addition, the dissociation rate (k_d 10^-5 s^-1) seemed slower over the His capture method (10^-4 s^-1) and provided stability on the chip surface during the dissociation phase. The K_D values for FcγRIa were found in the picomolar range (2.1-10.33 pM from steady-state affinity analysis and 37.5-46.2 pM from kinetic analysis) for IgG1-type antibodies. FcγRIa possesses comparable ligand potential as well as protein A. Even though the protein A-immobilized surface bound more antibodies than the FcγRIa-captured surface, FcγRIa presented a significant antibody binding capacity in protein L configuration. The results suggest FcγRIa protein as a potential ligand for site-oriented immobilization of IgG1-type monoclonal antibodies, and it needs further performance investigation on different surfaces and interfaces for applications such as sensing and antibody purification.

Detection of Leptin Using Electrocatalyst Mediated Impedimetric Sensing

Obesity is a complex disorder associated with immense health consequences including high risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. Abnormality in the thyroid gland, genetics, less physical activity, uptake of excessive diet, and leptin resistance are critical factors in the development of obesity. To determine the treatment strategy, understanding the pathophysiology of obesity is crucial. For instances, leptin resistance mediated obesity defined by the presence of excessive leptin hormone (Lep) in the systemic circulation is very common in diet induced obesity. Therefore, our hypothesis is that quantitative measurement of Lep from blood can help to identify individuals with Lep resistant mediated obesity and thereby guide toward a proper treatment strategy. In this work, we aim to utilize an electrochemical immunosensing platform for diagnosis of obesity by measuring the Lep content in systemic circulation. A porous carbon confined FeNi bimetallic system was synthesized with three different ratios of Fe and Ni ions using high temperature pyrolysis technique. The suitability of the sensor for detecting Lep was studied using both CV and EIS techniques. The limit of detection (LOD) for GCE was recorded as 157.4 fg/mL with a wide linear concentration range of 500 fg/mL to 80 ng/mL, while for SPCE the LOD was 184.9 fg/mL with a linear range of 500 fg/mL to 50 ng/mL. Finally, the feasibility and applicability of the sensor for Lep detection was tested with serum collected from high fat diet induced obese rats. The selectivity, sensitivity, storage, and experimental stability and reproducibility tests showed potential for this biosensor platform as a point-of-care Lep detection device.