Electrochemical Immunoassay for Vitellogenin Based on Sequential Injection Using Antigen-immobilized Magnetic Microbeads

A turn-on chemiluminescent assay for alkaline phosphatase using two-dimensional Fe-centered metal-organic frameworks as the signaling probe

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an essential enzyme involved in cell phosphorus metabolism. Developing sensitive and accurate ALP quantitative assays is significant. In this study, a turn-on chemiluminescence (CL) analysis platform for the detection of ALP activity in human serum was established based on two-dimensional (2D) Fe-centered metal-organic frameworks with 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylic acid as ligands (denoted as 2D Fe-BTC). The 2D Fe-BTC as the signaling probe reacts with ascorbic acid forming reduced Fe-BTC which catalyzes the luminol CL reaction producing a strong CL signal. The 2D Fe-BTC-based luminol CL reaction exhibited good CL responses when the concentration of ascorbic acid was in the range of 5-500 nM. By employing magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (MAP) as the substrate which can be hydrolyzed by ALP to generate ascorbic acid, a turn-on CL assay for the detection of ALP was established. Under optimal conditions, as low as 0.00046 U L-1 of ALP could be sensitively detected with a linear range of 0.001-0.1 U L-1. ALP in human serum can be detected after a simple dilution process without any other pretreatment.

Magnetic Control of an Electrochemical Microfluidic Device with an Arrayed Immunosensor for Simultaneous Multiple Immunoassays

Background: Methods based on magnetic bead probes have been developed for immunoassay, but most involve complicated labeling or stripping procedures and are unsuitable for routine use.

Methods: We synthesized magnet core/shell NiFe2O4/SiO2 nanoparticles and fabricated an electrochemical magnetic controlled microfluidic device for the detection of 4 tumor markers. The immunoassay system consisted of 5 working electrodes and an Ag/AgCl reference electrode integrated on a glass substrate. Each working electrode contained a different antibody immobilized on the NiFe2O4/SiO2 nanoparticle surface and was capable of measuring a specific tumor marker using noncompetitive electrochemical immunoassay.

Results: Under optimal conditions, the multiplex immunoassay enabled the simultaneous detection of 4 tumor markers. The sensor detection limit was <0.5 μg/L (or <0.5 kunits/L) for most analytes. Intra- and interassay imprecisions (CVs) were <4.5% and 8.7% for analyte concentrations >5 μg/L (or >5 kunits/L), respectively. No nonspecific adsorption was observed during a series of procedures to detect target proteins, and electrochemical cross-talk (CV) between neighboring sites was <10%.

Conclusion: This immunoassay system offers promise for label-free, rapid, simple, cost-effective analysis of biological samples. Importantly, the chip-based immunosensor could be suitable for use in the mass production of miniaturized lab-on-a-chip devices and open new opportunities for protein diagnostics and biosecurity.

Sequential injection chemiluminescence immunoassay for nonionic surfactants by using magnetic microbeads

A rapid and sensitive immunoassay based on a sequential injection analysis (SIA) using magnetic microbeads for the determination of alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APnEOs) is described. An SIA system was constructed from a syringe pump, a switching valve, a flow-through type immunoreaction cell equipped with a photon counting unit and a neodymium magnet. Magnetic beads, to which an anti-APnEOs monoclonal antibody was immobilized, were used as a solid support in an immunoassay. The introduction, trapping and release of the magnetic beads in and from the immunoreaction cell were controlled by means of a neodymium magnet and adjusting the flow of a carrier solution. The immunoassay was based on an indirect competitive immunoreaction of an anti-APnEOs monoclonal antibody immobilized on the magnetic beads with a sample APnEOs and a horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled APnEOs in the same sample solution, and was based on the subsequent chemiluminscence reaction of HRP on the magnetic microbeads with a luminol solution containing hydrogen peroxide and p-iodophenol. The anti-APnEOs antibody was immobilized on the magnetic microbeads by coupling the antibody with the magnetic beads after activation of a carboxylate moiety on the surface of the magnetic beads that had been coated with a polylactic acid film. The antibody immobilized magnetic beads were introduced in the immunoreaction cell and trapped in it by the neodymium magnet, which was equipped beneath the immunoreaction cell. An APnEOs sample solution containing the HRP-labeled APnEOs at a constant concentration, and a luminol solution containing hydrogen peroxide and p-iodophenol were sequentially introduced into the immunoreaction cell, according to an SIA programmed sequence. Chemiluminescence emission was monitored by means of a photon counting unit located at the upper side of the immunoreaction cell by collecting the emitted light with a lens. A typical sigmoidal calibration curve was obtained, when the logarithm of the concentration of APnEOs was plotted against the chemiluminescence intensity as the number of photons in 100 ms using standard APnEOs sample solutions at various concentrations (0-1000 ppb) under optimum conditions. The lower detection limit defined as IC(80) is ca 10 ppb. The time required for analysis is less than 15 min per a sample. The present method was successfully applied to the determination of APnEOs in river water.

Rapid Determination of Vitellogenin in Fish Plasma by Anion Exchange High Performance Liquid Chromatography Using Postcolumn Fluorescence Derivatization with o-Phthalaldehyde

An analytical method involving anion exchange high performance liquid chromatographic determination of vitellogenin (Vtg) in fish plasma after postcolumn fluorescence derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) was developed. The retention time of Vtg was about 11 min. The reagent variables for derivatization were optimized. The fluorophore was excited at 335 nm and detected at 435 nm. A calibration curve was established ranging from 0.13 to 11.28 microg. The determination limit of Vtg was found to be as low as 0.13 microg. The spiked recovery was 93.6% and interassay variability was less than 4%. The method developed was used to determine Vtg in fish plasma obtained from red sea bream (Pagrosomus major), black porgy (Sparus macrocephalus) and skew band grunt (Hapalogenys nitens), without complicated sample pretreatment. The results confirmed that the method showed advantages of being simple, rapid, reproducible and sensitive.