A new dual immunoassay for tumor markers based on chemiluminescence signal amplification by magnetic mesoporous silica and enzyme modified gold nanoparticles

A sensitive dual immunoassay was proposed for the determination of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) based on signal amplification. Monoclonal antibodies immobilized on magnetic mesoporous silica particles (Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2)) were prepared as the primary probe. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled antibodies co-coated with HRP on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used as the secondary probe to achieve signal amplification. HRP tags were retained in the flow cells after a sandwich immunoassay. By controlling two switches on the two channels, chemiluminescent substrates were injected orderly man way, and then signals for CEA and AFP were sequentially detected by HRP-luminol-H(2)O(2). Due to the increased amount of HRP on AuNPs and the increased amount of monoclonal antibodies on Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2), the signals were largely amplified. Under the optimal conditions, CEA and AFP could be detected in the linear ranges of 1.0 - 80 and 1.0 - 75 ng mL(-1) with detection limits of 0.25 and 0.5 ng mL(-1), respectively.     

Highly sensitive rapid chemiluminescent immunoassay using the DNAzyme label for signal amplification

A novel trace tag for chemiluminescent (CL) immunoassay was designed by using DNAzyme to functionalize antibody-labeled Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). The trace tag showed an excellent ability to catalyze the oxidation of luminol by hydrogen peroxide, leading to strong CL emission. By coupling the trace tag with a passive mixing accelerated immunoreaction system, a highly sensitive rapid flow-through CL immunoassay method was proposed. Using carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as a model analyte, the capture antibody for CEA was immobilized on paramagnetic microspheres, and DNAzyme-anti-CEA antibody functionalized AuNPs were prepared as trace tag. A three-dimensional helical glass tube kept at 37 °C in a water bath was used for passively mixing immunoreagents in a two-step sandwich immunoassay, with which each immunoreaction step could be finished within 150 s. With the help of a magnet, the immunocomplex could conveniently be separated from reactants. Compared with the horseradish peroxidase-based tag, the newly designed trace tag showed obvious signal amplification due to its strong catalytic ability and high loading ratio of DNAzyme on each AuNP. The proposed method showed a linear calibration range from 0.005 to 0.5 ng mL(-1) for CEA detection with a detection limit of 4.1 pg mL(-1) at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 and acceptable detection reproducibility. The assay results of clinical serum samples were in acceptable agreement with the reference values. The designed immunoassay system with ultrahigh sensitivity provided a programmable and low-cost approach for high-throughput clinical application.     

Highly sensitive microfluidic competitive enzyme immunoassay based on chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer for the detection of neuron‐specific enolase

A microfluidic competitive enzyme immunoassay based on chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) was developed for highly sensitive detection of neuron‐specific enolase (NSE). The CRET system consisted of horseradish peroxidase (HRP)/luminol as a light donor and fluorescein isothiocyanate as an acceptor. When fluorescein isothiocyanate‐labeled antibody binds with HRP‐labeled antigen to form immunocomplex, the donor and acceptor are brought close each other and CRET occurs in the immunocomplex. In the MCE, the immunocomplex and excess HRP–NSE were separated, and the chemiluminescense intensity of immunocomplex was used to estimate NSE concentration. The calibration curve showed a linearity in the range of NSE concentrations from 9.0 to 950 pM with a correlation coefficient of 0.9964. Based on a S/N of 3, the detection limit for NSE determination was estimated to be 4.5 pM, which is two‐order magnitude lower than that of without CRET detection. This assay was applied for NSE quantification in human serum. The obtained results demonstrated that the proposed immunoassay may serve as an alternative tool for clinical analysis of NSE.     

Automated chemiluminescent dual-analyte immunoassay based on resolved immunosensing channels

A novel system of series-wound immunosensing channels (SWIC) was proposed for automated chemiluminescent (CL) dual-analyte immunoassay by immobilizing respectively different capture antibodies on the inner walls of series-wound glass channels. This system could use a single enzyme as label to perform multiplex immunoassay in one fluid way. Using α-fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as model analytes, the mixture including AFP, horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled anti-AFP antibody, CEA and HRP-labeled anti-CEA antibody was introduced into the SWIC for carrying out the on-line incubation. Upon injection of CL substrate the CL signals from the two immunosensing channels were conveniently resolved and near-simultaneously collected with the aid of optical shutter. AFP and CEA could be rapidly assayed in the ranges of 1.0-100 and 1.0-80 ng/ml with detection limits of 0.41 and 0.39 ng/ml, respectively. The assay results of clinical serum samples were in an acceptable agreement with the reference values. This designed flow-through immunosensing system based on SWIC provided an automated, reusable, simple, sensitive and low-cost approach for multianalyte immunoassay.     

Chemiluminescent detection of cell apoptosis enzyme by gold nanoparticle-based resonance energy transfer assay

We report a new chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) technique, using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as efficient energy acceptor, for homogeneous measurement of cell apoptosis enzyme with high sensitivity. In the design of the CRET system, we chose the highly sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide catalysed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) because the CL spectrum of luminol (λ _max 425 nm) partially overlaps the visible absorption bands of AuNPs. In this system, the peptide substrate (DEVD) of caspase 3 was linked to the AuNP surface by Au–S linkage. HRP was attached to the AuNP surface by means of a bridge formed by the streptavidin–biotin reaction. CRET occurred as a result of formation of AuNP–peptide–biotin–streptavidin–HRP complexes. The CL of luminol was significantly reduced, because of the quenching effect of AuNPs. The quenched CL was recovered after cleavage of DEVD by caspase 3, an enzyme involved in the apoptotic process. Experimental conditions were systematically investigated. Under the optimum conditions the increase of the CL signal was linearly dependent on caspase 3 concentration within the concentration range 25 pmol L^?1 to 800 pmol L^?1 and the detection limit of caspase 3 was as low as 20 pmol L^?1, one order of magnitude lower than for FRET sensors based on graphene oxides. Our method was successfully used to detect drug-induced apoptosis of cells. This approach is expected to be extended to other assays, i.e., using other enzymes, analytes, CL substances, and even other nanoparticles (e.g., quantum dots and graphene). Fig. a

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Amorphous carbon nanoparticle used as novel resonance energy transfer acceptor for chemiluminescent immunoassay of transferrin

Amorphous carbon nanoparticles (ACNPs) showing highly efficient quenching of chemiluminescence (CL) were prepared from candle soot with a very simple protocol. The prepared ACNP was employed as the novel energy acceptor for a chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET)-based immunoassay. In this work, ACNP was linked with transferrin (TRF), and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was conjugated to TRF antibody (HRP–anti-TRF). The immunoreaction rendered the distance between the ACNP acceptor and the HRP-catalyzed CL emitter to be short enough for CRET occurring. In the presence of TRF, this antigen competed with ACNP–TRF for HRP–anti-TRF, thus led to the decreased occurrence of CRET. A linear range of 20–400 ng mL⁻¹ and a limit of detection of 20 ng mL⁻¹ were obtained in this immunoassay. The proposed method was successfully applied for detection of TRF levels in human sera, and the results were in good agreement with ELISA method. Moreover, the ACNPs show higher energy transfer efficiency than other conventional nano-scaled energy acceptors such as graphene oxide in CRET assay. It is anticipated that this approach can be developed for determination of other analytes with low cost, simple manipulation and high specificity.     

Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescent Analysis of Residual Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) Based on a Pair of Specific Monoclonal Antibodies and Peroxyoxalate–glyoxaline–PHPPA Dimer Chemiluminescent System in Vaccines

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-catalyzed fluorescent reaction, and oxalate chemiluminescence analysis have been combined to develop a highly sensitive, simple, and rapid method for analysis of bovine serum albumin (BSA) based on a pair of specific monoclonal antibodies in vaccines. A typical ??sandwich type?? immunoassay was used. Reaction of 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl propionate) (PHPPA) with hydrogen peroxide-urea, catalyzed by HRP, produced fluorescence of 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl propionate) dimer, which was detected by chemiluminescence analysis with the bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO)?CH₂O₂?Cglyoxaline?CPHPPA dimer chemiluminescent system. This method exhibited high performance with a linear correlation between response and amount of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the range 0.1 to 100.0?ng?mL^?1 (r?=?0.9988), and the detection limit was 0.03?ng?mL^?1 (S/N?=?3). Intra- and interassay coefficient variations were all lower than 9.0% at three concentrations (1.0, 20.0, and 80.0?ng?mL^?1). The proposed method has been used for successful analysis of the amount of residual BSA in vaccines. The results obtained compared well with those obtained by conventional colorimetric ELISA and luminol chemiluminescent ELISA.     

Noncompetitive enzyme immunoassay for α-fetroprotein using flow injection chemiluminescence

A novel, direct noncompetitive flow injection enzyme immunoassay for α-fetoprotein (AFP) was developed by enhanced chemiluminescence detection. The method was based on off-line incubation of AFP and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled anti-AFP, and then trapping of the unbound enzyme conjugate by an immunoaffinity column filled with AFP-modified Sepharose. The immunocomplex formed in incubation passed through the column and then was directly detected by a postcolumn chemiluminescence technique. The optimal conditions for the immunoassay procedure and chemiluminescence detection were established. At a 1:10 dilution of enzyme conjugate solution, the linear range for chemiluminescence detection of AFP was from 2.0 to 75 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.993 and a coefficient of variation of 2.67% at 30 ng/mL. The detection limit was 0.5 ng/mL. This method was flexible, sensitive, and rapid. The immunoaffinity column of 200 μL could be repeatedly used 100 times without a single decrease. The whole assay time including the preincubation step was only 30 min for one sample.     

Dual‐signal amplification strategy for ultrasensitive chemiluminescence detection of PDGF–BB in capillary electrophoresis

Many efforts have been made toward the achievement of high sensitivity in capillary electrophoresis coupled with chemiluminescence detection (CE‐CL). This work describes a novel dual‐signal amplification strategy for highly specific and ultrasensitive CL detection of human platelet‐derived growth factor–BB (PDGF–BB) using both aptamer and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) modified gold nanoparticles (HRP–AuNPs–aptamer) as nanoprobes in CE. Both AuNPs and HRP in the nanoprobes could amplify the CL signals in the luminol–H₂O₂ CL system, owing to the excellent catalytic behavior of AuNPs and HRP in the CL system. Meanwhile, the high affinity of aptamer modified on the AuNPs allows detection with high specificity. As proof‐of‐concept, the proposed method was employed to quantify the concentration of PDGF–BB from 0.50 to 250 fm with a detection limit of 0.21 fm. The applicability of the assay was further demonstrated in the analysis of PDGF–BB in human serum samples with acceptable accuracy and reliability. The result of this study exhibits distinct advantages, such as high sensitivity, good specificity, simplicity, and very small sample consumption. The good performances of the proposed strategy provide a powerful avenue for ultrasensitive detection of rare proteins in biological sample, showing great promise in biochemical analysis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of peroxidase encapsulated in liposomes using homogentisic acid y-lactone chemiluminescence.

Homogentisic acid gamma-lactone (HAL) chemiluminescence (CL) was applied to the determination of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) encapsulated in liposomes. HRP was detected after the lysis of HRP-trapped liposomes with Triton X-100. CL response rate, detection limit and linear range of calibration curve for HRP in HAL CL were compared with those in piodophenol (p-IP)-enhanced luminol CL. Maximal light emission in HAL CL appeared more rapidly compared to that in p-IP enhanced luminol CL, thus resulting in remarkable reduction of CL measurement time. The detection limit for HRP in HAL CL was the same as that in p-IP-enhanced luminol CL. The linear range of calibration curve for HRP in HAL CL was improved by a factor of 50 compared with that in p-IP-enhanced luminol CL. From these results, it was found that HAL CL were superior to p-IP-enhanced luminol CL for the determination of HRP encapsulated in liposomes.     

Chemiluminescence biosensor chip based on a microreactor using carrier air flow for determination of uric acid in human serum

A chemiluminescence biosensor on a chip coupled to a microfluidic system and a microreactor is described in this paper. The chemiluminescence biosensor measured 25 x 75 x 6.5 mm in dimension, and was readily produced in an analytical laboratory. The sol-gel method is introduced to co-immobilize horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and luminol in the microreactor, and to immobilize uricase in the enzymatic reactor. The main characteristic of the biosensor was to introduce air as the carrier flow instead of the more common solution carrier for the first time. The uric acid was determined by a chemiluminescent (CL) reaction between the hydrogen peroxide produced from the enzymatic reactor and luminol under the catalysis of HRP in the microreactor. The linear range of the uric acid concentration was 1 to 100 mg L(-1) and the detection limit was 0.1 mg L(-1) (3sigma).     

Label-free, non-derivatization CRET detection platform for 6-mercaptopurine based on the distance-dependent optical properties of gold nanoparticles

A label-free, non-derivatization chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) detection platform has been developed for the detection of the non-fluorescent small molecule 6-mercaptopurine. This CRET process arose from a chemiluminescent (CL) donor-acceptor system in which the reaction of bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO)-H(2)O(2)-fluorescein (maximum emission at 521.6 nm) served as the donor and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, maximum absorption at 520.0 nm) served as the acceptor. This process caused a significant decrease in the CL signal of the TCPO-H(2)O(2)-fluorescein reaction. The presence of 6-mercaptopurine induced an aggregation of AuNPs with the assistance of Cu(2+) ions through cooperative metal-ligand interactions that was accompanied by a distinct change in color and optical properties. The maximum absorption band of the AuNPs was red-shifted to 721.0 nm and no longer overlapped with the CL spectrum of the reaction; as a result, the CL signal was restored. This CRET system exhibited a wide linear range, from 9.0 nmol L(-1) to 18.0 μmol L(-1), and a low detection limit (0.62 nmol L(-1)) for 6-mercaptopurine. The applicability of the proposed CRET system was evaluated by analysis of 6-mercaptopurine in spiked human plasma samples.     

Polystyrene microspheres based sandwich immunosensor using CdTe nanoparticles amplification and ultrasensitive flow-injection chemiluminescence detection

In this paper we propose a specific sandwich immunoassay method for human-immunoglobulin G (HIgG). This immunoassay protocol takes advantage of sandwich binding of primary and secondary antibodies for increased specificity. Polystyrene microspheres (PS) serve as immobilizing support, site for sandwich immunoassay and then subsequently used for chemiluminescence (CL) detections. In this sandwich immunoassay, PS microspheres were modified with the primary anti-HIgG (Ab₁) via electrostatic interaction, while CdTe nanoparticles (CdTeNPs) were modified with horseradish peroxidase labeled anti-HIgG (Ab₂) via covalent binding. Antigen HIgG (Ag) was specifically captured by the first and secondary antibody and form sandwich immunoassay format. Combination of the remarkable sensitivity of CL method and the use of CdTe NPs as anti-HIgG–HRP carrier for the enzymatic signal amplification, provide a linear response range of HIgG from 0.01 to 300 ng mL⁻¹ with an extremely low detection limit of 0.3 pg mL⁻¹. This immunoassay system has many desirable merits including sensitivity, accuracy, and little required instrumentation. The assay results were compared with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and showed relatively good reliability. Significantly the new protocol may become quite promising technique for protein immune-detection as well as DNA analysis and other biological analyses.     

Micro-plate magnetic chemiluminescence immunoassay and its applications in carcinoembryonic antigen analysis

A micro-plate magnetic chemiluminescence immunoassay was developed for rapid and high throughput detection of carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA) in human sera. This method was based on a sandwich immunoreaction of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled anti-CEA antibodies, CEA antigens, and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated anti-CEA antibodies in mi- cro-plate. The immunomagnetic particles coated with anti-FITC antibodies were used as the solid phase for the immunoassay. The separation procedure was c...     

Ultrasensitive and accelerated detection of ciguatoxin by capillary electrophoresis via on-line sandwich immunoassay with rotating magnetic field and nanoparticles signal enhancement

A sensitive and rapid on-line immunoassay for the determination of ciguatoxin CTX3C was developed based on a capillary mixing system, which was integrated with capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation and electrochemical (EC) detection. In the sandwich immunoassay system, anti-CTX3C-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles were used as immunosensing probes, and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and anti-CTX3C antibody were bound onto the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and used as recognition elements. Online formation of immunocomplex was realized in capillary inlet end with an external rotating magnetic field. Compared with classical HPLC-MS and ELISA, the assay adopting AuNPs as multienzyme carriers and online sandwich immunoassay format with rotating magnetic field exhibited higher sensitivity and shorter assay time. The linear range of the assay for CTX3C was from 0.6 to 150 ng/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.9948 (n = 2), and the detection limit (S/N = 3) was 0.09 ng/L. The developed assay showed satisfying reproducibility and stability, and it was successfully applied for the quantification of CTX3C in fish samples.     

毛细管电泳免疫化学发光高灵敏检测人血清中肿瘤标志物甲胎蛋白

本文首次报道了人血清免疫反应后直接进样并利用毛细管电泳分离化学发光灵敏检测AFP的新方法, 检测结果与医院使用的全自动微粒子化学发光仪检测结果吻合.     

板式磁颗粒化学发光免疫分析测定人血清中糖类抗原125

在传统的板式化学发光免疫分析法和管式磁颗粒化学发光免疫分析法基础上,建立了人血清中糖类抗原125(CA125)的板式磁颗粒化学发光免疫分析方法.该方法以磁性微粒子作为分离固相,96孔板为反应容器,辣根过氧化物酶(HRP)催化H2O2-luminol化学发光体系作为检测体系.本法测定CA125的检测灵敏度可达2.0U/mL,线性范围为0～400U/mL.与常用的包被板化学发光免疫分析方法对比,该方法检测范围宽.与管式磁颗粒化化学发光法比较,其分析灵敏度与精密度高、线性范围、分析通量以及分析成本方面均显示了很好的优越性.采用该方法对人血清中CA125进行测定并与罗氏全自动电化学发光系统的测值结果进行了比对,两者显示了良好的相关性.     

Analytical performance of luminescent immunoassays of different format for serum daidzein analysis

Two sensitive competitive-type solid-phase immunoassays for serum daidzein analysis have been developed and optimized. The first is a chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay that uses black polystyrene microtiter wells in which daidzein-specific antibodies raised in rabbits are immobilized and a daidzein derivative is coupled to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as a label. The HRP activity of the antibody-bound tracer is measured with an enhanced chemiluminescent system (luminol/H2O2/enhancer). The second immunoassay is based on the use of bovine serum albumin-daidzein derivative immobilized on microtiter plates and a secondary anti-rabbit IgG-Fc fragment conjugated with 4,7-bis(chlorosulfophenyl)-1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid (BCPDA). Formation of the complex Eu3+-BCPDA enables time-resolved fluorescence-mode detection of the amount of antibody bound to the immobilized antigen. Both methods fulfilled all the requirements of accuracy and precision. The detection limit was the same for each method, 10 pg/well; this is better than that of other immunoassays. The specificity of the two methods was different, because of their competitive-type mechanisms. The performance of the chemiluminescence method is better, because the cross-reactivity of the main interfering compound (genistein) was 5%, compared with 25% for the time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay.     

Label‐Free,Non‐Derivatization CRET Detection Platform for 6‐Mercaptopurine Based on the Distance‐Dependent Optical Properties of Gold Nanoparticles

A label‐free, non‐derivatization chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) detection platform has been developed for the detection of the non‐fluorescent small molecule 6‐mercaptopurine. This CRET process arose from a chemiluminescent (CL) donor–acceptor system in which the reaction of bis(2,4,6‐trichlorophenyl)oxalate (TCPO)–H₂O₂–fluorescein (maximum emission at 521.6 nm) served as the donor and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, maximum absorption at 520.0 nm) served as the acceptor. This process caused a significant decrease in the CL signal of the TCPO–H₂O₂–fluorescein reaction. The presence of 6‐mercaptopurine induced an aggregation of AuNPs with the assistance of Cu²⁺ ions through cooperative metal–ligand interactions that was accompanied by a distinct change in color and optical properties. The maximum absorption band of the AuNPs was red‐shifted to 721.0 nm and no longer overlapped with the CL spectrum of the reaction; as a result, the CL signal was restored. This CRET system exhibited a wide linear range, from 9.0 nmol L^?1 to 18.0 μmol L^?1, and a low detection limit (0.62 nmol L^?1) for 6‐mercaptopurine. The applicability of the proposed CRET system was evaluated by analysis of 6‐mercaptopurine in spiked human plasma samples.     

Electrochemical immunoassay of hepatitis B surface antigen by the amplification of gold nanoparticles based on the nanoporous gold electrode

We describe herein the combination of electrochemical immunoassay using nanoporous gold (NPG) electrode with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled secondary antibody-gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) bioconjugates for highly sensitive detection of protein in serum. The electroactive product of o-phenylenediamine (OPD) oxidized with H₂O₂ catalyzed by HRP was reduced in the Britton-Robinson (BR) buffer and the peak current of which was used to determine the concentration of antigen (Ag) in the analyte. The active surface area of NPG electrode was larger than that of a bare flat one. The presence of AuNPs enhanced the immobilized amount of HRP labeled antibody (Ab), which improved the sensitivity of the immunoassay when used as the secondary antibodies. As a result of these two combined effects, the sensitivity of the immunoassay for the determination of target protein was increased significantly. Using hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as a model, we demonstrate a dose response in the range of 0.01-1.0 ng/mL with a detection limit of 2.3 pg/mL. Analytical results of several human serum samples obtained using the developing technique are in satisfactory agreement with those given by enzyme-linked immune-absorbent assays (ELISA). In addition, the technique was about 100 times more sensitive in the detection of HBsAg than ELISA. All these demonstrated the feasibility of the present immunoassay method for clinical diagnosis.