Abstract
A highly sensitive fluorescence detection probe was developed by tailoring plastic antibodies on the external surface of aqueous soluble quantum dots (QDs). The target was Myoglobin (Myo), a cardiac biomarker that quenched the intrinsic fluorescent emission of cadmium telluride (CdTe) QDs capped with mercaptopropionic acid (CdTe-MPA-QDs). The QDs were incubated with the target protein and further modified with a molecularly-imprinted polymer (MIP) produced by radical polymerization of acrylamide and bisacrylamide. The main physical features of the materials were assessed by electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV/Vis spectrophotometry and spectrofluorimetry. The plastic antibodies enabled Myo rebinding into the QDs with subsequent fluorescence quenching. This QD-probe could detect Myo concentrations from 0.304 to 571 pg/ml (50.6 fM to 95 pM), with a limit of detection of 0.045 pg/ml (7.6 fM). The proposed method was applied to the determination of Myo concentrations in synthetic human serum. The results obtained demonstrated the ability of the modified-QDs to determine Myo below the cut-off values of myocardial infarction. Overall, the nanostructured MIP-QDs reported herein displayed quick responses, good stability and sensitivity, and high selectivity for Myo, offering the potential to be explored as new emerging sensors for protein detection in human samples.
Highlights
Cardiovascular diseases are a global cause of deaths worldwide, accounting for nearly 17.3 million cases per year[1]
A bathochromic shift was observed in the emission spectra with the increase of the reaction time of the quantum dots (QDs), which in turn was related to QDs of higher diameter
The imprinting of Myo on the QDs enabled the detection of Myo in lower concentration levels than by using the QDs alone
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases are a global cause of deaths worldwide, accounting for nearly 17.3 million cases per year[1]. Immunoassays use natural antibodies, which are excellent probes in terms of selectivity and selectivity, leading these to current commercial applications as ELISA These naturally based materials are expensive and require specific storage conditions. The 3D mold holds the capacity to rebind to the target molecule after its removal from the core polymeric structure[26] These materials present several advantages over natural antibodies in immunoassays, such as improved chemical www.nature.com/scientificreports/. A successful and simple approach in this context includes polymerization with acrylamide and bisacrylamide as monomers and cross-linker, making use of bulk or surface imprinting. These allow mild polymerization conditions and biocompatible environment to accommodate the protein upon rebinding. Several technical approaches for Myo imprinting reported include the use of Cryogels[29], surface imprinting[30], microcontact imprinting[31,32], charged oriented imprinting[33], electropolymerization[34], grafting on silicon[35] or graphite supports[36] or using polymerizable liposomes[37]
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