Peptide Functionalized Gold Nanorods for the Sensitive Detection of a Cardiac Biomarker Using Plasmonic Paper Devices.

Sirimuvva Tadepalli,Qisheng Jiang,Evan D Kharasch,Keng-Ku Liu,Zhifeng Kuang,Jeremiah J Morrissey,Joseph M Slocik,Rajesh R Naik,Marilee A Fisher,Srikanth Singamaneni

doi:10.1038/srep16206

Abstract

The sensitivity of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of metal nanostructures to adsorbates lends itself to a powerful class of label-free biosensors. Optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures are dependent on the geometrical features and the local dielectric environment. The exponential decay of the sensitivity from the surface of the plasmonic nanotransducer calls for the careful consideration in its design with particular attention to the size of the recognition and analyte layers. In this study, we demonstrate that short peptides as biorecognition elements (BRE) compared to larger antibodies as target capture agents offer several advantages. Using a bioplasmonic paper device (BPD), we demonstrate the selective and sensitive detection of the cardiac biomarker troponin I (cTnI). The smaller sized peptide provides higher sensitivity and a lower detection limit using a BPD. Furthermore, the excellent shelf-life and thermal stability of peptide-based LSPR sensors, which precludes the need for special storage conditions, makes it ideal for use in resource-limited settings.

Highlights

Specific biomolecular interactions such as antibody-antigen interactions form the basis for numerous bioassays including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunoblotting, and immunoprecipitation assays[14,15,16]
We describe a bioplasmonic paper device (BPD) for localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-based bioassay wherein the plasmonic nanostructures are functionalized with a peptide recognition elements with high affinity for the cardiac biomarker troponin I (Fig. 1)
In this paper, using BPDs as a sensing platform for concentration of troponin (cTnI), we investigate the sensitivity and stability of LSPR biosensors based on natural antibodies and short peptides, as biorecognition elements (BRE)

Summary

Using Plasmonic Paper Devices

Sirimuvva Tadepalli[1], Zhifeng Kuang[2], Qisheng Jiang[1], Keng-Ku Liu[1], Marilee A. The large size of natural antibodies (~150 KDa) can significantly lower the sensitivity of LSPR-based biosensors in which the sensing volume (typically characterized by the EM decay length from the surface of the transducer) is relatively small compared to SPR-based sensors[18] These considerations highlight the need for alternate recognition elements that exhibit high specificity and stability to translate LSPR-based biosensors to point-of-care diagnostics in resource-limited settings. In this paper, using BPDs as a sensing platform for cTnI, we investigate the sensitivity and stability of LSPR biosensors based on natural antibodies and short peptides, as BREs. We demonstrate that peptides provide a significantly higher sensitivity and lower limit of detection compared to antibodies as a recognition element. The rapid detection of cTnI in biological fluids at clinically relevant concentrations using BPDs can be a robust approach for biodiagnostics in resource-limited settings

Results and Discussion

Author Contributions

Additional Information