The Application of CdTe/CdS in the Detection of Carcinoembryonic Antigen by Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay

A novel and portable strategy based on fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) using quantum dots (QDs) was described in this study for simple, rapid, and sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Under optimal conditions, the sensor has a wide dynamic range (from 0.5?ng/mL to 200?ng/mL) and a good correlation. The limit of detection (LOD) is 0.21?ng/mL (S/N?=?3). The sensor has been applied for detection of carcinoembryonic antigen in 10 human serum samples with the range of recovery from 92.1?% to 103.6?%. Furthermore, bioconjugation of the core–shell QDs with streptavidin (SA) has been successfully applied in immunofluorescent imaging of the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HEPG2) cell line. The experimental results demonstrated the successful application of QDs-based fluorescence polarization immunoassay for detection of target proteins of biomedical importance. This strategy shows great promise for clinical diagnoses and basic discovery with high sensitivity, good specificity, simple procedures and short analysis time.     

Sensitive and Selective Detection of Antibiotic D-Penicillamine Based on a Dual-Mode Probe of Fluorescent Carbon Dots and Gold Nanoparticles

This paper reported a dual-mode probe for D-penicillamine on the basis of pH-mediated gold nanoparticles aggregation and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from carbon dots. D-penicillamine is a zwitterionic compound and has different forms depending on specific pH ranges. The thiol group of D-penicillamine has high affinity towards the surface of gold nanoparticles and can replace other surface ligands. When pH values were close to its isoelectrical point (pH(I)), the D-penicillamine capped gold nanoparticles aggregated through hydrogen bonding or electrostatic interactions, resulting in the releasing of carbon dots from gold nanoparticles. The dual-mode probe consisted of fluorescent carbon dots and gold nanoparticles, and the fluorescence of carbon dots was quenched by the attached gold nanoparticles due to the FRET. Then, the fluorescence can be recovered in presence of D-penicillamine due to the gold nanoparticles aggregation in specific pH range. Under the optimum conditions, the probe has linear response for D-penicillamine in the 0.25–1.5 μM concentration range with a detection limit of 0.085 μM. This method provides a potential application in sensitive detection of D-penicillamine.     

Multianalyte immunoassay based on surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy

In this paper, two immunoassay methods based on SERS are developed for multiplex analysis, both of which stemmed from the concept of forming a sandwich structure ‘capture antibody substrate/antigen/Raman‐reporter‐labeled immuno‐nanoparticles’. They are two‐molecule labeled one‐nanoparticle and one‐molecule labeled two‐nanoparticle methods. In both the methods, two different antibodies covalently bound to a solid substrate can specifically capture two different antigens from a sample. The captured antigens in turn bind selectively to their corresponding antibodies immobilized on Raman‐reporter‐labeled nanoparticles. Multianalyte immunoassay is successfully demonstrated by the detection of characteristic Raman bands of the probe molecules only when the antigen and antibody are matched. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

光纤与生物分子界面上固定FITC标记抗体的荧光光谱

采用化学方法把FITC标记羊抗人抗体IgG共价固定到三氨基三乙氧基硅烷和戊二醛(APTES-Glu)修饰的石英光纤纤芯表面。通过研究未经过任何修饰的纤芯表面的吸附以及共价固定的FITC标记羊抗人抗体的荧光光谱性质发现:共价结合到纤芯表面的FITC荧光光谱相对于溶液中FITC的荧光峰位红移约9nm,而物理吸附的FITC的荧光峰位移动约4nm,而且两者相对荧光强度相差6倍。而在固定的人血清蛋白进行免疫反应后,FITC的荧光峰位只移动3～4nm,除此之外,研究了抗体共价键固定的稳定性问题。结果表明:共价键结合抗体的数量要大于表面吸附,共价键固定的FITC标记羊抗人抗体与光纤表面间的相互作用较吸附于光纤表面的FITC标记羊抗人抗体间的相互作用更强。这对于建立一种通过荧光光谱识别固体表面与生物分子的吸附还是共价结合的判据提供了物理基础。     

Magnetic Fluorescent Composite Nanoparticles for the Fluoroimmunoassays of Newcastle Disease Virus and Avian Virus Arthritis Virus

A new detection format for multiplexed analysis based on the use of magnetic fluorescent composite nanoparticles was presented in this paper. Two different antigens, Newcastle disease virus (NDV) antigen and Avian virus arthritis virus (AVAV) antigen, were conjugated to two kinds of magnetic fluorescent composite nanoparticles of different luminescent colors, while red-emitting CdTe QDs were attached to the antibody of NDV and AVAV. Both CdTe QDs-labeled antibodies and magnetic fluorescent composite nanoparticles labeled antigens were used to form a typical immunoreaction system for the detection of NDV and AVAV. Also a typical mixed separation format was realized, which showed the outstanding magnetic properties of composite nanoparticles and the broad application in immunoseparation.     

基于金/银纳米三明治结构SERS特性的超灵敏前列腺特异性抗原检测

基于金/银纳米三明治结构的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)特性, 实现了前列腺特异性抗原(PSA)高灵敏度免疫检测, 检测结果具有特异性。采用化学还原法制备金、银纳米粒子, 用4-巯基苯甲酸(4-MBA)及前列腺特异性抗体(Anti-PSA)链接金、银纳米粒子制备免疫探针, 在硅片表面原位生长金、银纳米粒子并链接Anti-PSA制备得到免疫基底。将免疫探针、免疫基底以及PSA组成三明治结构, 进行基于SERS特性的免疫检测。实验结果表明, 纳米银免疫探针与纳米银免疫基底组成的三明治结构具有最佳的检测效果, PSA的检测灵敏度低至1.8fg/mL(3.490吆^-18mol/L), 可应用于前列腺癌症的早期检测与诊断。     

Fabrication of magnetic gold nanorod particles for immunomagnetic separation and SERS application

The preparation and application of rod-shaped core–shell structured Fe₃O₄–Au nanoparticles for immunomagnetic separation and sensing were described for the first time with this study. To synthesize magnetic gold nanorod particles, the seed-mediated synthetic method was carried out and the resulting nanoparticles were characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Magnetic properties of the nanoparticles were also examined. Characterization of the magnetic gold nanorod particles has proven that the resulting nanoparticles were composed of Fe₃O₄ core and the gold shell. The rod-shaped gold-coated iron nanoparticles have an average diameter of 16 ± 2 nm and an average length of about 50 ± 5 nm (corresponding aspect ratio of 3). The saturation magnetization value for the magnetic gold nanorod particles was found to be 37 emu/g at 300 K. Rapid and room temperature reaction synthesis of magnetic gold nanorod particles and subsequent surface modification with E. coli antibodies provide immunomagnetic separation and SERS application. The analytical performance of the SERS-based homogenous sandwich immunoassay system with respect to linear range, detection limit, and response time is also presented.     

纳米磷化镓粉体还原氮过程的Raman光谱分析

利用Raman光谱对还原氮后的纳米磷化镓(GaP)粉体进行了表征。结果表明:纳米GaP粉体表面含有Ga-O,P-O和H-O化学键。此外,进行氮还原过程后,在Raman位移约为1700~3300cm-1范围内(相当于709~800nm或1.55~1.75eV),纳米GaP的Raman光谱出现了一个宽、强荧光发射峰;而在未进行通氮处理的纳米GaPRaman光谱中,没有观察到该荧光峰的存在。本文对该荧光发射峰的起因作了初步分析。     

纳米二氧化钛屏蔽紫外光法显现手印研究

鉴于彩色和强荧光客体上手印难以显现的实际,报道了利用屏蔽紫外光显现手印的新方法。金红石相纳米二氧化钛对紫外光有很强的屏蔽性能。实验用二氧化钛粒径约为30 nm,多为球形,对波长小于400 nm的光有强烈吸收。通过刷显或抖显的方法,使纹线吸附足量的纳米二氧化钛颗粒,而客体表面不吸附或少吸附。在365 nm紫外光照下,纹线呈暗色调,背景则为亮色调,拍照得到反差明显的影像。与传统的“502”胶熏显-罗丹明6G(或BBD)染色增显法比较,纳米二氧化钛屏蔽紫外光法显出的手印纹线流畅,细节特征清晰。研究表明：该法可以有效显现彩色或强荧光客体上手印,对于非渗透性客体上的陈旧手印也有比较理想的显现效果。该法具有简便、有效、快速和经济的特点,具有广阔的应用前景。     

Obtaining DNA aptamers to human interleukin-6 for biomagnetic immunoassay nanosensors

We used aptamers, which are functional equivalents of antibodies, in order to develop a nanosensor immunoassay system based on magnetic nanoparticles and a SQUID magnetometer. Selection was used to obtain DNA aptamers to interleukin-6; their affinity to the target protein was characterized by surface plasmon resonance. It was shown that the biotinylated aptamer binds to magnetic nanoparticles that were functionalized with streptavidin.     

Using fluorescence measurement of zinc ions liberated from ZnS nanoparticle labels in bioassay for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> O157:H7

In this study, an alternative approach using ZnS nanoparticle biolabels as fluorescence signal transducers is reported for the immunoassay of E. coli O157:H7 in tap water samples. Instead of measuring the fluorescence of ZnS nanoparticles in the assay, the fluorescence signal is generated through the binding of zinc ions released from nanoparticle labels with zinc-ion sensitive fluorescence indicator Fluozin-3. In the assay, ZnS nanoparticles around 50 nm in diameter were synthesized, bioconjugated, and applied for the detection of E. coli O157:H7. The assay shows a detection range over two orders of magnitude and a detection limit around 1000 colony-forming units (cfu) of E. coli O157:H7.     

非荧光硫化锌纳米簇的合成与表征

合成硫化锌纳米簇并对其进行表征,建立一种利用硫化锌纳米簇的阳离子交换(CX)反应检测痕量生物分子的方法。采用水热法合成非荧光硫化锌纳米簇(NCCs)并对其进行表征。纳米簇的性能直接影响检测结果。通过透射电镜图像和X射线衍射可知,纳米簇是多孔的,可以通过快速阳离子交换反应从纳米簇中释放大量的Zn2+,在锌响应试剂的作用下产生荧光信号进行荧光检测。其晶体的外部比内部排列松散,有利于快速阳离子交换,其晶体尺寸大小与加热时间有关。通过比表面积检测法测定纳米簇的表面积和孔径表明,最小的纳米簇拥有相对较大的表面积及较高的阳离子交换效率。实验了三种释放方法(酸溶解法、阳离子交换法和微波辅助阳离子交换法)对Zn2+释放性能的影响,结果表明,微波辅助阳离子交换法信噪比较高,操作简便,可用于硫化锌纳米簇免疫测定法中。比较了Zn2+的释放效率和目标结合力与平均直径之间的关系,结果表明纳米簇尺寸为44 nm时表现出最高的阳离子交换效率。结论：所有这些特点,使ZnS纳米簇阳离子交换放大器在痕量生物分子检测方面成为高度灵敏、生物相容性好、低廉环保的检测工具。     

Dual-Color Quantum Dot–Encoded Nanoprobe for DNA Assays and Cell Imaging

In this article, a novel dual-color quantum dot–encoded fluorescent nanoprobe was prepared by the reverse microemulsion method and layer-by-layer assembly method. First, red fluorescence–emitting CdTe quantum dots were encapsulated in silica nanoparticles by the reverse microemulsion method. Yellow fluorescence–emitting quantum dots were deposited on the surface of silica nanoparticles to form a dual-color quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe. Then capture DNA was linked to a QSQ nanoprobe via covalent bonding. We utilized the quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe to capture and detect the mutant BRAF DNA sequence through the competitive immunoassay method. The resulting quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe-capture DNA conjugates showed sequence-specific hybridization with target DNA. Furthermore, a multispectral imaging system was utilized to distinguish the quantum dot optical code in the quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe. The quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe was used in human osteoblast-like HepG2 cell imaging. The proposed quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe and decoding analysis method could be used for targeting imaging, biological assays, and early detection of cancer.     

Synthesis of Eu(III): naphtoyltrifluoroacetone:trioctylphosphineoxide complex-doped silica fluorescent nanoparticles through a new approach

In this study, a new approach for the preparation of a fluorescent europium(III) complex-doped silica nanoparticles has been developed. The synthesis process involved the following steps: (1) preparing silica nanoparticles by water-in-oil microemulsion method, (2) dyeing the spherical silica particles by europium(III): naphtoyltrifluoroacetone (NTA):trioctylphosphineoxide (TOPO), (3) adsorbing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) onto the core structure and growing silica on PVP surface. The as-prepared nanoparticles exhibited stronger emission intensity, higher photo- and chemical stability. Despite the fact that europium(III) complex was doped into the nanoparticles, its fluorescence properties such as a wide Stokes shift, a narrow emission peak, and long fluorescence lifetime, were retained. The nanoparticles are uniform in shape and size (50 ± 5 nm in diameter). This study could provide new avenue for the fabrication of Eu: NTA:TOPO-based nanoparticles, facilitating their application in bioassay issues.     

Immunoassays Based on Surface-Enhanced Fluorescence using Gap-Plasmon-Tunable Ag Bilayer Nanoparticle Films

A novel gap-plasmon-tunable Ag bilayer nanoparticle film for immunoassays is demonstrated. Different from a traditional Ag monolayer nanoparticle film, a desired number of polyelectrolyte (PEL) layers are deposited on the nanoparticles before the self-assembly of a second Ag nanoparticle layer. Interestingly, by controlling the number of the PEL interlayers, the gap plasmon between the two Ag nanoparticle layers can be tuned across the visible spectral range. The ability of the presented Ag bilayer nanoparticle films in fluorescence enhancement has been examined experimentally. A maximal enhancement of around 15.4 fold was achieved when 7 layers of polyelectrolyte were used. When this optimal Ag bilayer nanoparticle film was applied to fluorescence immunoassay, a performance with approximately 3.3-fold enhancement was obtained compared with that performed on a traditional glass substrate. The experimental results suggest that the presented gap-plasmon tunable Ag bilayer nanoparticle films have great potential in fluorescence-based immunoassays. The method of the bilayer-film construction presented here also provides new insights into the rational design of the plasmonic substrates.     

MR imaging of the her2/neu and 9.2.27 tumor antigens using immunospecific contrast agents

Molecular imaging of tumor antigens using immunospecific magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents is a rapidly evolving field, which can potentially aid in early disease detection, monitoring of treatment efficacy, and drug development. In this study, we designed, synthetized, and tested in vitro two novel monocrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles (MION) conjugated to antibodies against the her2/neu tyrosine kinase receptor and the 9.2.27 proteoglycane sulfate. MION was synthetized by coprecipitation of iron II and iron III salts in 12-kD dextran solution; antibody coupling was performed by reductive amination. The relaxivity of the conjugates was 24.1-29.1 mM(-1) s(-1), with 1.8 to 2.1 antibody molecules per nanoparticle. A panel of cultured melanoma and mammary cell lines was used for testing. The cells were incubated with the particles at 16-32 microg Fe/ml in culture medium for 3 h at 37 degrees C, and investigated with immune fluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), MRI of cell suspensions in gelatine, and spectrophotometric iron determination. All receptor-positive cell lines, but not the controls, showed receptor-specific immune fluorescence, and strong changes in T(2) signal intensity at 1.5 T. The changes in 1/T(2) were between 1.5 and 4.6 s(-1) and correlated with the amount of cell-bound iron (R = 0.92). The relaxivity of cell-bound MION increased to 55.9 +/- 10.4 mM(-1) s(-1). TEM showed anti-9.2.27 conjugates binding to the plasma membrane, while the anti-her2/neu conjugates underwent receptor-mediated endocytosis. In conclusion, we obtained receptor-specific T(2) MR contrast with novel covalently bound, multivalent MION conjugates with anti-9.2.27 and anti-her2/neu to image tumor surface antigens. This concept can potentially be expanded to a large number of targets and to in vivo applications.     

Evolution of terahertz conductivity in ZnSe nanocrystal investigated with optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy

The unique optical properties of nanoparticles are highly sensitive in respect to particle shapes, sizes, and localization on a sample. This demands for a fully controlled fabrication process. The use of femtosecond laser pulses to generate and transfer nanoparticles from a bulk target towards a collector substrate is a promising approach. This process allows a controlled fabrication of spherical nanoparticles with a very smooth surface. Several process parameters can be varied to achieve the desired nanoparticle characteristics. In this paper, the influence of two of these parameters, i.e. the applied pulse energy and the laser beam shape, on the generation of Si nanoparticles from a bulk Si target are studied in detail. By changing the laser intensity distribution on the target surface one can influence the dynamics of molten material inducing its flow to the edges or to the center of the focal spot. Due to this dynamics of molten material, a single femtosecond laser pulse with a Gaussian beam shape generates multiple spherical nanoparticles from a bulk Si target. The statistical properties of this process, with respect to number of generated nanoparticles and laser pulse energy are investigated. We demonstrate for the first time that a ring-shaped intensity distribution on the target surface results in the generation of a single silicon nanoparticle with a controllable size. Furthermore, the generated silicon nanoparticles presented in this paper show strong electric and magnetic dipole resonances in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. Theoretical simulations as well as optical scattering measurements of single silicon nanoparticles are discussed and compared.     

An Indirect Competitive Fluorescence Immunoassay for Determination of Dicyclohexyl Phthalate in Water Samples

A sensitive and specific indirect competitive fluorescence immunoassays (FIA) has been developed for the quantitative determination of dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) using an antigen-coated plate format. The polyclonal antibodies raised against dicyclohexyl 4-amino phthalate conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) by the amino diazotization linkage method. Antiserum with a sufficiently high titer was generated in rabbits and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was used as sensitive labels to construct the fluorescence immunoassay (FIA) for measurement of targeted compounds. Under optimized FIA condition, the quantitative working range was from 0.1 to 200 μg L⁻¹ with a limit of detection of 0.05 μg L⁻¹. Other similar phthalate compounds do not interfere significantly in the analysis using this immunoassay technique, and the cross-reactivity rates were less than 10%. Four kinds of water samples (tap water, lake water, river water and leachate) had been detected in this assay, the recovery was 91.3–107.8%. The proposed fluorescence immunoassay turned out to be a powerful tool for monitoring of dicyclohexyl phthalate in water samples at trace level.     

纳米磷化镓粉体还原氦过程的Raman光谱分析

利用Raman光谱对还原氮后的纳米磷化镓(GaP)粉体进行了表征。结果表明：纳米GaP粉体表面含有Ga-O，P-O和H-O化学键。此外，进行氮还原过程后，在Raman位移约为1700～3300cm^-1范围内(相当于709～800nm或1．55～1．75eV)，纳米GaP的Raman光谱出现了一个宽、强荧光发射峰；而在未进行通氮处理的纳米GaP Raman光谱中，没有观察到该荧光峰的存在。本文对该荧光发射峰的起因作了初步分析。     

Resistive Pulse Sensing as a High‐Resolution Nanoparticle Sizing Method: A Comparative Study

One of the main challenges of sizing methods for nanoparticle (NP) suspensions is to distinguish between particles and particle populations with very small size differences. This would be especially important to follow various surface functionalization processes of nanoparticles resulting in small alterations of their size. In this respect, methods involving the detection of single particles, such as resistive pulse sensing (RPS) or nanoparticle tracking analysis, are generally considered superior to ensemble measuring methods such as dynamic light scattering. However, to compare the exact capabilities of these methodologies require systematic investigations in optimized conditions for each method. Here, such a study is presented for a narrow size range of spherical latex nanoparticles (60–200 nm). It is concluded that the RPS methodology based on quartz nanopipets as single nanopore counters, is the only sizing method among those studied capable to fully resolve a ternary mixture of 70, 110, and 140 nm average diameter NPs. The practical usefulness of this size resolution is demonstrated by following the increase in diameter of latex nanoparticles after their surface modification with antibodies.