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Qu R, Li G. Overview of Liquid Crystal Biosensors: From Basic Theory to Advanced Applications. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:205. [PMID: 35448265 PMCID: PMC9032088 DOI: 10.3390/bios12040205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystals (LCs), as the remarkable optical materials possessing stimuli-responsive property and optical modulation property simultaneously, have been utilized to fabricate a wide variety of optical devices. Integrating the LCs and receptors together, LC biosensors aimed at detecting various biomolecules have been extensively explored. Compared with the traditional biosensing technologies, the LC biosensors are simple, visualized, and efficient. Owning to the irreplaceable superiorities, the research enthusiasm for the LC biosensors is rapidly rising. As a result, it is necessary to overview the development of the LC biosensors to guide future work. This article reviews the basic theory and advanced applications of LC biosensors. We first discuss different mesophases and geometries employed to fabricate LC biosensors, after which we introduce various detecting mechanisms involved in biomolecular detection. We then focus on diverse detection targets such as proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, glucose, cholesterol, bile acids, and lipopolysaccharides. For each of these targets, the development history and state-of-the-art work are exhibited in detail. Finally, the current challenges and potential development directions of the LC biosensors are introduced briefly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruixiang Qu
- Intelligent Optical Imaging and Sensing Group, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Guoqiang Li
- Intelligent Optical Imaging and Sensing Group, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou 311121, China
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Hong PTK, Jang CH. Simple, sensitive technique for α-amylase detection facilitated by liquid crystal-based microcapillary sensors. Microchem J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2020.105864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Khan M, Li W, Mao S, Shah SNA, Lin J. Real-Time Imaging of Ammonia Release from Single Live Cells via Liquid Crystal Droplets Immobilized on the Cell Membrane. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2019; 6:1900778. [PMID: 31637159 PMCID: PMC6794618 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201900778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Tumor cells exhibit prominent metabolic alterations through which they acclimatize to their stressful microenvironment. These cells have a high rate of glutaminolysis and release ammonia (NH3) as a byproduct, which may function as a diffusible signal among cancer cells and can reveal cellular heterogeneity. E7, a nematic liquid crystal (LC), is doped with 4-pentyl-4'-biphenyl carboxylic acid (PBA) and encapsulated in polymeric microcapsules (P-E7PBA), which are then immobilized on cells in a microfluidic channel. Normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and myeloma, human primary glioblastoma (U87), human colon carcinoma (Caco-2), and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells are investigated for the release of NH3. The P-E7PBA is able to visualize NH3 release from the cell via a radial-to-bipolar (R-B) orientation change, observed through a polarized optical microscope. The various cell lines significantly differ in their response time required for an R-B change. The mean response times for Caco-2, U87, and MCF-7 cells are 277, 155, and 121 s, respectively. NH3 release from a single cell captured in a microwell flow chip shows a similar R-B change. The P-E7PBA droplets technology could be applied to other multiple targets by functionalizing LCs with different probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mashooq Khan
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Weiwei Li
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Sifeng Mao
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Syed Niaz Ali Shah
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Jin‐Ming Lin
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
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An Z, Jang CH. Label-free optical detection of aflatoxin by using a liquid crystal-based immunosensor. Microchem J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2018.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Erratum: Corrigendum: A liquid-crystal-based DNA biosensor for pathogen detection. Sci Rep 2018; 8:46972. [PMID: 29769637 PMCID: PMC5956233 DOI: 10.1038/srep46972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Abstract
Liquid crystal (LC) based optical sensors have been found to be very promising for detecting aqueous biological samples due to the ease of optical detection, their cost effectiveness and the removal of the need for labelling biological species with fluorescent dyes. To date, all LC based sensors are studied in laboratories using conventional polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and no attention has been paid towards the fabrication of portable LC sensing devices for use in commercial purposes. Here, we designed and fabricated a 3D printed portable, lightweight, and inexpensive sensing device using a smartphone to detect the optical signal of LC based sensors. The accuracy of the optical signal using the fabricated sensing device is similar to that obtained using conventional POM. The fabricated sensing device, using a smartphone, gives a novel and new platform to LC based sensors for practical applications in the industrial world and people's daily lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajib Nandi
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Sector-81, Knowledge City, Manauli-140306, India.
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Shen J, He F, Chen L, Ding L, Liu H, Wang Y, Xiong X. Liquid crystal-based detection of DNA hybridization using surface immobilized single-stranded DNA. Mikrochim Acta 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00604-017-2324-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Liquid crystal-based capillary sensory platform for the detection of bile acids. Chem Phys Lipids 2017; 204:10-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Kim HJ, Jang CH. Micro-capillary sensor for imaging trypsin activity using confined nematic liquid crystals. J Mol Liq 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2016.07.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Khan M, Khan AR, Shin JH, Park SY. A liquid-crystal-based DNA biosensor for pathogen detection. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22676. [PMID: 26940532 PMCID: PMC4778015 DOI: 10.1038/srep22676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
A liquid-crystal (LC)-filled transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grid cell coated with the cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), to which a single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid probe (ssDNAprobe) was adsorbed at the LC/aqueous interface (TEMDTAB/DNA), was applied for the highly specific detection of target DNA molecules. The DTAB-coated E7 (used LC mixture) in the TEM grid (TEMDTAB) exhibited a homeotropic orientation, and changed to a planar orientation upon adsorption of the ssDNAprobe. The TEMDTAB/DNA was then exposed to complementary (target) ssDNA, which resulted in a planar-to-homeotropic configurational change of E7 that could be observed through a polarized optical microscope under crossed polarizers. The optimum adsorption density (2 μM) of ssDNAprobe enabled the detection of ≥0.05 nM complementary ssDNA. This TEMDTAB/DNA biosensor could differentiate complementary ssDNA from mismatched ssDNA as well as double-stranded DNA. It also successfully detected the genomic DNAs of the bacterium Erwinia carotovora and the fungi Rhazictonia solani. Owe to the high specificity, sensitivity, and label-free detection, this biosensor may broaden the applications of LC-based biosensors to pathogen detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mashooq Khan
- Department of Polymer Science & Engineering, Polymeric Nanomaterials Laboratory, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, #1370 Sangyuk-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu 41566, Korea
| | - Abdur Rahim Khan
- School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, #1370 Sangyuk-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu 41566, Korea
| | - Jae-Ho Shin
- School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, #1370 Sangyuk-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu 41566, Korea
| | - Soo-Young Park
- Department of Polymer Science & Engineering, Polymeric Nanomaterials Laboratory, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, #1370 Sangyuk-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu 41566, Korea
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Zhao D, Peng Y, Xu L, Zhou W, Wang Q, Guo L. Liquid-Crystal Biosensor Based on Nickel-Nanosphere-Induced Homeotropic Alignment for the Amplified Detection of Thrombin. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2015; 7:23418-22. [PMID: 26458050 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b08924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
A new liquid-crystal (LC)-based sensor operated by nickel nanosphere (NiNS)-induced homeotropic alignment for the label-free monitoring of thrombin was reported. When doped with NiNSs, a uniform vertical orientation of 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) was easily obtained. A sandwich system of aptamer/thrombin/aptamer-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was fabricated, and AuNPs-aptamer conjugation caused the disruption of the 5CB orientation, leading to an obvious change of the optical appearance from a dark to a bright response to thrombin concentrations from 0.1 to 100 nM. This design also allowed quantitative detection of the thrombin concentration. This distinctive and sensitive thrombin LC sensor provides a new principle for building LC-sensing systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyu Zhao
- School of Chemistry and Environment Science, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yi Peng
- School of Chemistry and Environment Science, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Beijing 100191, China
| | - Lihong Xu
- School of Chemistry and Environment Science, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Beijing 100191, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- School of Chemistry and Environment Science, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Beijing 100191, China
| | - Qian Wang
- School of Chemistry and Environment Science, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Beijing 100191, China
| | - Lin Guo
- School of Chemistry and Environment Science, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Beijing 100191, China
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Dong Y, Yang Z. Beyond displays: The recent progress of liquid crystals for bio/chemical detections. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-013-5767-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Aminian M, Nabatchian F, Vaisi-Raygani A, Torabi M. Mechanism of Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 binding to cetyltrimethylammonium bromide: an interference with the Bradford assay. Anal Biochem 2012; 434:287-91. [PMID: 23219565 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2012.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2012] [Revised: 11/15/2012] [Accepted: 11/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The Bradford protein assay is a popular method because of its rapidity, sensitivity, and relative specificity. This method is subject to some interference by nonprotein compounds. In this study, we describe the interference of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) with the Bradford assay. This interference is based on the interaction of Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 (CBB) with this cationic detergent. This study suggests that both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions are involved in the interaction of CTAB and CBB. The anionic and neutral forms of CBB bind to CTAB by electrostatic attraction, which accelerates hydrophobic interactions of these CBB forms and the hydrophobic tail of CTAB. Consequently, the hydrophobic regions of the dominant free cationic form of CBB dye compete for the tail of CTAB with two other forms of the dye and gradually displace the primary hydrophobic interactions and rearrange the primary CBB-CTAB complex. This interaction of CTAB and CBB dye produces a primary 650-nm-absorbing complex that then gradually rearranges to a complex that shows an absorbance shoulder at 800-950 nm. This study conclusively shows a strong response of CBB to CTAB that causes a time-dependent and nearly additive interference with the Bradford assay. This study also may promote an application of CBB for CTAB quantification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahdi Aminian
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
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Han GR, Jang CH. Measuring ligand–receptor binding events on polymeric surfaces with periodic wave patterns using liquid crystals. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2012; 94:89-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2012.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2011] [Revised: 12/09/2011] [Accepted: 01/18/2012] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Lai SL, Tan WL, Yang KL. Detection of DNA targets hybridized to solid surfaces using optical images of liquid crystals. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2011; 3:3389-95. [PMID: 21861457 DOI: 10.1021/am200571h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we report a method of detecting DNA targets hybridized to a solid surface by using liquid crystals (LC). The detection principle is based on different interference colors of LC supported on surfaces decorated with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). However, the contrast between the ssDNA and dsDNA is not obvious, unless DNA-streptavidin complexes are introduced to the dsDNA to increase the surface mass density. Two different approaches of introducing streptavidin to the system are studied and compared. We find that by premixing the biotin-labeled DNA targets with streptavidin prior to the DNA hybridization, branched-streptavidin complexes are formed and clear LC signal can be observed. This LC-based DNA detection principle represents an important step toward the development of a simple, instrument- and fluorophore-free DNA detection method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siok Lian Lai
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117576
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