A two-color-change, nanoparticle-based method for DNA detection

Herein, we describe the detailed synthesis of Ag/Au core-shell nanoparticles, the surface-functionalization of these particles with thiolated oligonucleotides, and their subsequent use as probes for DNA detection. The Ag/Au core-shell nanoparticles retain the optical properties of the silver core and are easily functionalized with thiolated oligonucleotides due to the presence of the gold shell. As such, the Ag/Au core-shell nanoparticles have optical properties different from their pure gold counterparts and provide another “color” option for target DNA-directed colorimetric detection. Size-matched Ag/Au core-shell and pure gold nanoparticles perform nearly identically in DNA detection and melting experiments, but with distinct optical signatures. Based on this observation, we report the development of a two-color-change method for the detection and simultaneous validation of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in a DNA target using Ag/Au core-shell and pure gold nanoparticle probes.     

纳米粒子在食源性致病菌检测中的应用进展

食品安全事关人民群众的身体健康和生命安全,而食源性致病菌是食品安全的主要影响因素。由食源性致病菌引起的疾病和死亡持续威胁着全球的公共卫生安全。因此,开发快速、准确且灵敏的食源性致病菌检测方法是预防食源性疾病暴发和确保食品安全的关键。常规检测方法费时费力,需要昂贵的设备和专业的人员,应用受限。近年来,随着纳米技术的快速发展,纳米粒子凭借其小尺寸、高比表面积和高反应活性等理化特性成为食源性致病菌检测领域的研究热点。此外,将识别元件修饰于纳米粒子表面并结合新颖的分析技术,能提高检测的特异性和灵敏度。该综述主要总结和比较了磁性纳米粒子、贵金属纳米粒子、荧光纳米粒子和二氧化硅纳米粒子在食源性致病菌检测中的应用,以期为食源性致病菌的快速分析提供思路。     

Polymer coatings for sensitive analysis of colloidal silica nanoparticles in water

A new analytical approach has been developed for the sensitive detection of trace nanomaterials in water using silica as model inorganic nanoparticles. Our novel approach is based on coating of the nanoparticles with a polymer to make them larger in size for better ultraviolet (UV) light absorption. These polymer-coated nanoparticles can be separated from the monomer and polymer by capillary electrophoresis (CE) due to differences in their ionic charge, size, and surface functionality. Controlled polymerization of 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA) on silica nanoparticles increased their UV detection sensitivity by 5–7-fold. A second coating with polydopamine produced an extra 2-fold increase of the UV detection sensitivity. With both polyhydroxypropyl methacrylate and polydopamine coatings, a significant total enhancement of 10–14-fold in detection sensitivity was attained. Alternatively, addition of bisphenol A or polyvinyl alcohol to the HPMA polymerization mixture resulted in 9–10-fold increase of SiO₂ detection sensitivity due to additional absorption of the UV detector light.     

Stimuli responsive release of metalic nanoparticles on semiconductor substrates

Optically active metal nanoparticles have been of recent and broad interest for applications to biomarker detection because of their ability to enable high sensitivity enhancements in various optical detection techniques. Here, we report stimuli responsive release of metallic nanoparticles on a semiconductor thin film array structure based on pH change. The metallic nanoparticles are obtained by a simple redox procedure on the semiconductor surface. This approach allows controlling nanoparticle surface coatings in situ for biomolecule conjugation, such as DNA probes on nanoparticles, and rapid stimuli responsive release of these nanoparticles upon pH change.     

Analysis of fullerene-based nanomaterial in serum matrix by CE

With the increasing interest in using nanoparticles as vehicles for drug delivery and image contrast agents, there is a need to develop assays for their detection and quantitation in complex matrices to facilitate monitoring their biodistribution. In this study, we developed a CE approach for the analysis of two nanoparticles: carboxyfullerene (C3) and dendrofullerene (DF1) in both standard solutions and a serum matrix. These highly soluble, charged C(60) derivatives were characterized by CZE using either a bare or dynamically coated fused-silica capillaries. The resolution of both nanoparticles was slightly lower with the coated capillary; however, their migration times were faster. While separation of the DF1 nanoparticles using MEKC resulted in a greater number of observable peaks, the peak profile of C3 was basically unchanged regardless of whether SDS micelles were added to the running buffers or not. The MEKC and/or CZE assays were then used to quantitate the C3 and DF1 nanoparticles in spiked human serum samples. The quantitation of the nanoparticles was linear from 0-500 microg/mL with detection limits ranging from 0.5 to 6 microg/mL.     

Sandwich-type immunosensors and immunoassays exploiting nanostructure labels: A review

Methods based on sandwich-type immunosensors and immunoassays have been developed for detection of multivalent antigens/analytes with more than one eptiope due to the use of two matched antibodies. High-affinity antibodies and appropriate labels are usually employed for the amplification of detectable signal. Recent research has looked to develop innovative and powerful novel nanoparticle labels, controlling and tailoring their properties in a very predictable manner to meet the requirements of specific applications. This articles reviews recent advances, exploiting nanoparticle labels, in the sandwich-type immunosensors and immunoassays. Routine approaches involve noble metal nanoparticles, carbon nanomaterials, semiconductor nanoparticles, metal oxide nanostructures, and hybrid nanostructures. The enormous signal enhancement associated with the use of nanoparticle labels and with the formation of nanoparticle-antibody-antigen assemblies provides the basis for sensitive detection of disease-related proteins or biomolecules. Techniques commonly rely on the use of biofunctionalized nanoparticles, inorganic-biological hybrid nanoparticles, and signal tag-doped nanoparticles. Rather than being exhaustive, this review focuses on selected examples to illustrate novel concepts and promising applications. Approaches described include the biofunctionalized nanoparticles, inorganic-biological hybrid nanoparticles, and signal tage-doped nanoparticles. Further, promising application in electrochemical, mass-sensitive, optical and multianalyte detection are discussed in detail.     

Ultrasensitive detection and molecular imaging with magnetic nanoparticles

Recent advances in nanotechnology have produced a variety of nanoparticles ranging from semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), metallic nanoparticles, to polymeric nanoparticles. Their unique electronic, magnetic, and optical properties have enabled a broad spectrum of biomedical applications such as ultrasensitive detection, medical imaging, and specific therapeutics. MNPs made from iron oxide, in particular, have attracted extensive interest and have already been used in clinical studies owing to their capability of deep-tissue imaging, non-immunogenesis, and low toxicity. In this Research Highlight article, we attempt to highlight the recent breakthroughs in MNP synthesis based on a non-hydrolytic approach, nanoparticle (NP) surface engineering, their unique structural and magnetic properties, and current applications in ultrasensitive detection and imaging with a special focus on innovative bioassays. We will also discuss our perspectives on future research directions.     

A study of using luminophore-doped silica nanoparticles as fluorescent probe in protein microarray assay

A convenient method for the synthesis of tris(2,2′-bipyridyl) dichlororuthenium(II) hexahydrate-doped amino-modified double-layer silica nanoparticles is presented in this paper. The synthesized nanoparticles are uniform and photostable, and can be well dispersed in a water solution. Proteins could be directly immobilized onto these nanoparticles by a simple coupling process without losing their biological activities. These nanoparticles were further used as fluorescent probes in protein microarray assay for the quantitative detection of protein. The results obtained by these nanoparticles, with the detection limit of as low as 3.5 μg/mL, were much better than those involving the use of conventional FITC probe. Translated from Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 2006, 34(9): 1227–1230 (in Chinese)     

Impact electrochemistry of individual molybdenum nanoparticles

Detection of individual nanoparticles is of high importance to basic science as well as to applied one, i.e., for remediation efforts. Electrochemistry was shown previously to play an important role in detection, counting and measuring individual nanoparticles. Here we show that individual molybdenum nanoparticles can be detected and counted by chronoamperometry upon their impact on the carbon electrode surface. The size determination of individual nanoparticles by electrochemical measurement is consistent with the size determination by scanning electron microscopy.     

高分子辅助的纳米粒子造影增强材料

纳米技术和纳米医学的研究在生物医学、疾病诊断和治疗方面显示出了巨大的应用潜力. 有机荧光分子基检测技术已被广泛的用作造影和信号转换的工具用以测定痕量的分析物. 然而, 有机荧光分子基团的降解、光漂白作用使得其荧光的稳定性受到影响, 从而限制了它们在复杂的生理环境中的应用. 无机纳米粒子因其形状、尺寸和组成的不同而具有独特且稳定的光、电、磁及催化性能, 可用作新型的生物纳米造影材料, 能很好的解决造影检测技术所面临的难题. 并且, 纳米造影材料的表面修饰则可以提高它们的在生理条件下的稳定性和靶向生物活性分子的能力.     

Making gold nanoparticles fluorescent for simultaneous absorption and fluorescence detection on the single particle level

We demonstrate a simple way of making individual 20 nm gold nanoparticles fluorescent (with a fluorescence quantum yield of about 10(-6)) in glycerol. Gold NPs prepared in such a way have bright fluorescence for a long time under moderate excitation, and their fluorescence remains when the solvent is exchanged to water. We propose to use these nanoparticles as a calibration standard for simultaneous detection of fluorescence and absorption (by means of photothermal detection), and experimentally demonstrate the theoretically predicted shift in axial positions of these signals. Simultaneous absorption and fluorescence detection of such stable labels makes them attractive for multidimensional tracking and screening applications.     

Synthesis of Cd(2+)-functionalized titanium phosphate nanoparticles and application as labels for electrochemical immunoassays

Porous titanium phosphate (TiP) nanoparticles with high water solubility have been synthesized by using the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as the structure-directing agent. The TiP nanoparticles can be functionalized with Cd(2+) and can be further used as labels for electrochemical detection of proteins due to their excellent ion-exchange property.     

荧光纳米颗粒标记免疫分析

荧光纳米颗粒标记是目前免疫分析研究中一个新兴的领域。由于荧光纳米颗粒标记可以有效地提高单个识别分子上标记的荧光量（F/P）,从而大大提高分析的灵敏度。但是由于在标记和免疫分析过程中具有很多不同于传统荧光染料的特点,需要很多经验的积累,在现阶段限制了其在实际医学诊断中的广泛应用。本文就近年来荧光纳米颗粒标记免疫分析中涉及到的标记方法、免疫模式、影响因素等方面进行了综述。     

Electrochemical detection and characterization of nanoparticles: A potential tool for environmental purposes

The incorporation of engineered nanoparticles in commercial products and industrial processes has broadly increased in recent years, which raises concerns about their environmental impact. In this review, we present electrochemistry as a promising analytical tool towards the detection and characterization of nanoparticles for environmental purposes. Recent research has not only demonstrated the applicability of electrochemical methods for the quantification of nanoparticles in environmental samples, but also for the study of properties and transformations of nanoparticles. All these aspects are very relevant to understand their toxicity in the environment. In this context, we discuss several electrochemical methods to quantify and study the size and shape, surface properties, interparticle interactions, chemical reactivity and speciation of nanoparticles.     

金纳米粒子的合成、特性及其在生物医学检测中的应用研究进展

近年来,纳米技术越来越广泛的应用到各个领域,金纳米粒子因其具有许多优良的物理、化学及生物学性质而引起了人们特别的关注。本文综述了金纳米粒子几种经典的合成方法,以及基于金纳米粒子独特的理化性质在病原体、核酸蛋白质检测方面的最新研究进展。     

Biocompatible heterostructured nanoparticles for multimodal biological detection

Hybrid nanoparticles are of significant interest primarily because of their innate multifunctional capabilities. These capabilities can be exploited when hybrid nanoparticles are used for applications in the biomedical sciences in particular, where they are utilized as multimodal nanoplatforms for sensing, imaging, and therapy of biological targets. However, the realization of their biomedical applications has been difficult, in part because of a lack of high quality hybrid nanoparticles which possess high aqueous colloidal stability and biocompatibility while retaining their multifunctionalities. Here, we present the development of inorganic heterodimer nanoparticles of FePt-Au with multifunctional capabilities including catalytic growth effects, magnetic resonance (MR) contrast effects, optical signal enhancing properties, and high colloidal stability and biocompatibility. Their multimodal capabilities for biological detection are demonstrated through their utilizations in the patterned biochip based detection of avidin-biotin interaction as well as in molecular MR imaging of neuroblastoma cells.     

金纳米粒子在重金属离子检测方面的应用研究

近年来,贵金属纳米材料由于其具有独特的光学性质、稳定性、生物相容性和自身的结构特性等优点,被广泛用于重金属检测领域。总结了近年来金纳米粒子在重金属离子检测方面的研究现状,最后对贵金属纳米材料在重金属离子检测中的发展前景进行了展望。     

Synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles and their application to bioassays

Magnetic nanoparticles have been attracting much interest as a labeling material in the fields of advanced biological and medical applications such as drug delivery, magnetic resonance imaging, and array-based assaying. In this review, synthesis of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles via a reverse micelle system and modification of their surface by an organosilane agent are discussed. Furthermore, as a practical biological assay system, the magnetic detection of biomolecular interactions is demonstrated by using the combination of a patterned substrate modified with a self-assembled monolayer and the magnetic nanoparticles.     

Immunochromatographic Test Systems using Anti-Species Antibodies–Colloidal Gold Conjugate: Their Features and Benefits on the Example of Ochratoxin A Detection

The traditional immunochromatographic assay using a conjugate of gold nanoparticles with specific ochratoxin A (OTA) antibodies and a new type of assay with indirect labeling using a combination of free antibodies and a conjugate of gold nanoparticles with anti-species antibodies were compared using the example of OTA detection. In the proposed assay, specific antibodies are included in the sample dilution buffer, which increases the duration of their interaction with the antigen, while a conjugate of anti-species antibodies with the marker is applied to the test strip. The assay was approbated for OTA detection in maize extracts. Transition to indirect labeling was shown to reduce the OTA detection limit by two orders of magnitude up to 0.12 ng/mL. The causes of this improvement are discussed. The high sensitivity of immunochromatography with indirect labeling makes it a promising approach for detection of various antigens with low molecular weight.     

金纳米粒子在重金属离子检测方面的应用研究

近年来,贵金属纳米材料由于其具有独特的光学性质、稳定性、生物相容性和自身的结构特性等优点,被广泛用于重金属检测领域。总结了近年来金纳米粒子在重金属离子检测方面的研究现状,最后对贵金属纳米材料在重金属离子检测中的发展前景进行了展望。