Time-resolved fluorescence based DNA detection using novel europium ternary complex doped silica nanoparticles

A two-probe tandem DNA hybridization assay including capture DNA₁, probe DNA₂, and target DNA₃ was prepared. The long-lived luminescent europium complex doped nanoparticles (NPs) were used as the biomarker. The complex included in the particle was Eu(TTA)₃(5-NH₂-phen)-IgG (ETN-IgG), the europium complex Eu(TTA)₃(5-NH₂-phen) linking an IgG molecule. Silica NPs containing ETN-IgG were prepared by the reverse microemulsion method, and were easy to label oligonucleotide for time-resolved fluorescence assays. The luminophores were well-protected from the environmental interference when they were doped inside the silica network. The sequences of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli genes were designed using software Primer Premier 5.0. Amino-modified capture DNA₁ was covalently immobilized on the common glass slides surface. The detection was done by monitoring the fluorescence intensity from the glass surface after the hybridization reaction with the NPs labeled probe DNA₂ and complementary target DNA₃. The sensing system presented short hybridization time, satisfactory stability, sensitivity, and selectivity. This approach was successfully employed for preliminary application in the detection of pure cultured E. coli, it might be an effective tool for pathogen DNA monitoring.     

An aptamer-based assay for thrombin via structure switch based on gold nanoparticles and magnetic nanoparticles

An aptamer-based assay for thrombin with high specificity and sensitivity was presented. In the protocol, the aptamer for thrombin was immobilized on magnetic nanoparticle, and its complementary oligonucleotide was labeled with gold nanoparticles, then the aptamer was hybridized with the complementary oligonucleotide to form the duplex structure as a probe, this probe could be used for the specific recognition for thrombin. In the presence of thrombin, the aptamer prefer to form the G-quarter structure with thrombin, resulting in the dissociation of the duplex of the probe and the release of the gold labeled oligonucleotide. Upon this, we were able to detect thrombin through the detection of the electrochemical signal of gold nanoparticles. The strategy combines with the high specificity of aptamer and the excellent characteristics of nanoparticles. This assay is simple, rapid, sensitive and highly specific, it does not require labeling of thrombin, and it could be applied to detect thrombin in complex real sample. The method shows great potential in other protein analysis and in disease diagnosis.     

Aptamers-based sandwich assay for silver-enhanced fluorescence multiplex detection

In this work, aptamers-modified silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared as capture substrate, and fluorescent dyes-modified aptamers were synthesized as detection probes. The sandwich assay was based on dual aptamers, which was aimed to accomplish the highly sensitive detection of single protein and multiplex detection of proteins on one-spot. We found that aptamers-modified AgNPs based microarray was much superior to the aptamer based microarray in fluorescence detection of proteins. The result shows that the detection limit of the sandwich assay using AgNPs probes for thrombin or platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) is 80 or 8 times lower than that of aptamers used directly. For multiplex detection of proteins, the detection limit was 625 pM for PDGF-BB and 21 pM for thrombin respectively. The sandwich assay based on dual aptamers and AgNPs was sensitive and specific.     

Highly sensitive detection of human thrombin in serum by affinity capillary electrophoresis/laser-induced fluorescence polarization using aptamers as probes

The detection and quantification of disease-related proteins play critical roles in clinical practice and diagnostic assays. We present an affinity probe capillary electrophoresis/laser-induced fluorescence polarization (APCE/LIFP) assay for detection of human thrombin using a specific aptamer as probe. In the APCE/LIFP assay, the mobility and fluorescence polarization of complex are measured simultaneously during CE analysis. The affinity complex of human thrombin can be well separated from unbound aptamer on CE and clearly identified on the basis of its fluorescence polarization and migration. Because of the binding favorable G-quartet conformation potentially involved in the specific aptamer, it was assumed that monovalent and bivalent cations promoting the formation of a stable G quadruplex conformation in the aptamer may enhance the binding of the aptamer and thrombin. Therefore, we investigated the effects of various metal cations on the binding of human thrombin and the aptamer. Our results show that cations like K⁺ and Mg²⁺ could not stabilize the affinity complex. Without the use of typical cations, a highly sensitive assay of human thrombin was developed with the corresponding detection limits of 4.38 × 10⁻¹⁹ and 2.94 × 10⁻¹⁹ mol in mass for standard solution and human serum, respectively.     

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence aptamer-based method for the determination of thrombin incorporating quenching of tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium by ferrocene

A novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) aptamer-based biosensing method for the determination of thrombin was developed on basis of a structure-switching ECL-dequenching mechanism. A thiolated ss-DNA capture probe, composing of a ss-DNA sequence to adopt two distinct structures-a DNA double strand with a complementary DNA sequence tagged with a ECL signal producer tris(2,2^′-bipyridyl)ruthenium derivative and a DNA duplex with a thrombin-binding aptamer tagged with a ECL-quencher ferrocene (FcDNA), was self-assembled onto surface of a gold electrode. In the presence of thrombin, the aptamer sequence prefers to form the aptamer-thrombin complex and the switch of the binding partners occurs in conjunction with the generation of a strong ECL signal owing to the dissociation of FcDNA. The integrated ECL intensity versus the concentration of thrombin was linear in the range from 2.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ M to 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ M. The detection limit was 6 × 10⁻¹¹ M. The relative standard derivation for 2.0 × 10⁻⁹ M was 5.7% (n = 7). This work demonstrates that the sensitivity and specificity of ECL aptamer-based method for proteins can be greatly improved using quenching ECL signal producer by a chemical quencher such as ferrocene.     

Tb3+/Eu3+镧系金属有机框架材料在荧光检测的研究进展

镧系金属有机骨框架（Lanthanide metal organic frameworks,Ln-MOFs）是以镧系离子为中心,与配体有机物组合的多孔材料,具有良好的光学性质,在许多领域有广泛的应用。不同的镧系离子与相应的有机配体结合,可组成不同性能的Ln-MOFs。在众多镧系元素中,Tb3+和Eu3+是良好的发光中心,常被用于组建发光Ln-MOFs。由Tb3+/Eu3+与有机配体形成的Ln-MOFs具有独特的荧光特性、较大stokes位移以及长发光寿命等优点在荧光检测领域具有重要应用。本文综述了基于Tb3+/Eu3+的Ln-MOFs在离子检测、生物标志物检测以及小分子检测领域的研究进展,对Ln-MOFs的发展前景进行了展望。     

Enzymatic cleavage and mass amplification strategy for small molecule detection using aptamer-based fluorescence polarization biosensor

Fluorescence polarization (FP) assays incorporated with fluorophore-labeled aptamers have attracted great interest in recent years. However, detecting small molecules through the use of FP assays still remains a challenge because small-molecule binding only results in negligible changes in the molecular weight of the fluorophore-labeled aptamer. To address this issue, we herein report a fluorescence polarization (FP) aptamer assay that incorporates a novel signal amplification strategy for highly sensitive detection of small molecules. In the absence of adenosine, our model target, free FAM-labeled aptamer can be digested by nuclease, resulting in the release of FAM-labeled nucleotide segments from the dT-biotin/streptavidin complex with weak background signal. However, in the presence of target, the FAM-labeled aptamer–target complex protects the FAM-labeled aptamer from nuclease cleavage, allowing streptavidin to act as a molar mass amplifier. The resulting increase in molecular mass and FP intensity of the aptamer–target complex provides improved sensitivity for concentration measurement. The probe could detect adenosine from 0.5 μM to 1000 μM, with a detection limit of 500 nM, showing that the sensitivity of the probe is superior to aptamer-based FP approaches previously reported for adenosine. Importantly, FP could resist environmental interferences, making it useful for complex biological samples without any tedious sample pretreatments. Our results demonstrate that this dual-amplified, aptamer-based strategy can be used to design fluorescence polarization probes for rapid, sensitive, and selective measurement of small molecules in complicated biological environment.     

Eu-TTA体系测定条件的优化及其在小麦代谢研究 中的应用

研究了铕(Ⅲ)-TTA(邻-噻吩甲酰三氟丙酮)体系在有机溶剂和邻菲啰啉衍生物存在下的荧光性质,发现醇类有机溶剂能使Eu(Ⅲ)-TTA体系荧光强度大幅度提高;三种邻菲啰啉衍生物中,4,7-二苯基-2,9-二甲基-1,10-邻菲啰啉的加入也能提高体系灵敏度。优化了反应条件,并用此法研究了小麦根施Eu^3^+数天后,Eu^3^+在根和叶片细胞膜和细胞内的分布定位,为稀土元素的植物代谢研究提供了一种重要的辅助研究手段。     

Sensitive and simple detection of Escherichia coli strain based on time-resolved fluorescence DNA hybridization assay

A two-probe tandem DNA hybridization assay based on time-resolved fluorescence was employed to detect Escherichia coli strain. The amino modified capture probe was covalently immobilized on the common glass slide surface. The Eu(TTA)₃(5-NH₂-phen) with the characteristics of long lifetime and intense luminescence was labeled with reporter probe. The original extracted DNA samples without the purification and amplification process were directly used in the hybridization assay. The concentration of capture probe, hybridization temperature, hybridization and washing time were optimized. The detection limit is about 1.49 × 10³ CFU mL⁻¹E. coli cells, which is comparable to the value of most microbiology methods. The proposed method has the advantages of easy operation, satisfactory sensitivity and specificity, which can provide a promising technique for monitoring the microorganisms.     

基于适配体亲和毛细管电泳-激光诱导荧光检测的凝血酶分析

以一种高亲和力适配体作为亲和荧光探针,以自建的毛细管电泳-激光诱导荧光(CE-LIF)检测装置为基础,建立了一种高灵敏、快速测定人凝血酶的方法。荧光标记的凝血酶适配体特异性地与凝血酶结合并形成稳定的凝血酶-适配体复合物,采用CE-LIF对复合物进行分离检测,从而测定凝血酶浓度。探讨了盐离子种类及浓度对适配体与凝血酶结合的影响,并在选定的电泳条件下对凝血酶检测的线性范围、检出限和重现性进行了测定。结果表明,盐离子存在的条件下适配体与凝血酶的亲和力降低,不利于两者的结合;人血清溶液中,凝血酶浓度在0.25～10 nmol/L范围内与复合物峰面积具有良好的线性相关性(r20.991),检出限(S/N3)为55.6 pmol/L;精密度和回收率测定结果均能满足分析的要求。     

Excitation Induced Emission Color Change Based on Eu(III)‐Zn(II)‐containing Polymer Complex

A novel polymer P‐1 is prepared by the reaction of the monomer 5,5′‐divinyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine and Salen‐Zn(II) via Heck cross coupling. Interestingly, P‐1 can further incorporate with Eu(TTA)₃·2H₂O to generate copolymer P‐2 with two different metal centers. P‐2 exhibits exceptional dual emissive properties which can be tuned by excitation wavelength. For example, an orange fluorescence can be obtained when P‐2 is excited at 430 nm, whereas a red emission with a huge Stoke shift of 57 nm is observed when it is excited at 345 nm. The high wavelength emission can be attributed to Eu(III) (⁵D₀→⁷F₂), which is lit by an effective photoinduced energy transfer process between P‐1 and the Eu(TTA)₃ complex. The properties of P‐2 have led to a better understanding of the energy transfer process between P‐1 and Eu(TTA)₃ moieties.     

Effect of 4f-shell excitation of Eu(fod)3 on its complex formation with alicyclic ketones

The complex formation of alicyclic ketones, viz., camphor, cyclohexanone, menthone, and cytisine, with the Eu(fod)₃ chelate (fod is 7,7-dimethyl-1,1,1,2,2,3,3-heptafluorooctane-4,5-dione) in the ground and excited states was studied by chemiluminescence and kinetic luminescence spectroscopy, respectively. The stability constants and thermodynamic parameters of complex formation were determined. An increase in the stability of the electron-excited complexes [Eu(fod)₃*·Ketone] is explained by the enhancement of the acceptor ability of the Eu³⁺ chelate due to an increase in the fraction of the covalent component caused by the involvement of 4f-orbitals. The results obtained give direct evidence for the effect of the 4f-shell excitation of Eu(fod)₃ on complex formation due to the involvement of f-electrons in the chemical bonds.     

Simultaneous laser-induced fluorescence and contactless-conductivity detection for microfluidic chip

A combined detection system involving simultaneous LIF and contacfless-conductometric measurements at the same place of the microfluidic chip was described. The LIF measurement was designed according to the confocal principle and a moveable contactless-conduetivity detector was used in C^4D. Both measurements were mutually independent and advantageous in analyses of mixtures. Various experimental parameters affecting the response were examined and optimized. The performances were demonstrated by simultaneous detection of Rhodamine B. And the results showed that the combined detection system could be used sensitively and reliably.     

Detection of thrombin using electrogenerated chemiluminescence based on Ru(bpy)3(2+)-doped silica nanoparticle aptasensor via target protein-induced strand displacement

A sensitive and selective aptasensor using tri(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-doped silica nanoparticles (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-doped SNPs) as DNA tags for detection of thrombin is developed based on the target protein-induced strand displacement of the DNA probe. For the proposed aptasensor, the aptamer was assembled on the surface of the Au electrode through Au-S binding. The hybridization event between the DNA probe labeled by the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-doped SNPs and the aptamer was evaluated by electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) measurements. Then, the DNA probe was displaced by thrombin and the binding event between the thrombin and the aptamer was monitored by ECL measurements again. The difference of ECL intensity (ΔI_ECL) of the two events could be used to quantify the thrombin. Other proteins, such as bovine serum albumin and bovine hemoglobin, had almost negligible ΔI_ECL. Under the optimal conditions, the ΔI_ECL was linearly related to the concentration of the thrombin in the range of 10 fM to 10 pM and the detection limit was down to 1.0 fM since SNPs containing a large number of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ molecules were labeled on the DNA probe.     

Eu(NTf2)3催化吲哚与醛(酮)反应合成二吲哚基甲烷

二(三氟甲基磺酰)亚胺铕(III) [Eu(NTf₂)₃, Tf＝SO₂CF₃]作催化剂, 吲哚与醛(酮)在室温下发生亲电取代反应合成了一系列二吲哚基甲烷, 产率85%～98%. 该法反应条件温和、时间短、催化剂用量少且可以回收重复使用.     

Use of vitamin B2 for fluorescence detection of thymidine-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms

In combination with abasic site (AP site)-containing DNAs, potential use of a biotic fluorescence compound, Vitamin B₂ (riboflavin), is demonstrated for the fluorescence detection of the thymine (T)-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Our method is based on construction of the AP site in DNA duplexes, which allows small ligands to bind to target nucleotides accompanied by fluorescence signaling: an AP site-containing probe DNA is hybridized with a target DNA so as to place the AP site toward a target nucleobase, by which hydrophobic microenvironments are provided for ligands to recognize target nucleotides through stacking and hydrogen-bonding interactions. In 10 mM sodium cacodylate buffer solutions (pH 7.0) containing 100 mM NaCl and 1.0 mM EDTA, Vitamin B₂ is found to selectively bind to T (K₁₁ = 1.8 × 10⁶ M⁻¹ at 5 °C) over other nucleobases, and this is accompanied by significant quenching of its fluorescence. While the sensing functions depend on the flanking sequences to the AP site, Vitamin B₂ is applicable to the detection of T/C (cytosine), T/G (guanine) and T/A (adenine) mutation sequences of the CYP2A6 gene, where the flanking nucleobases are guanines in both positions (-GXG-, X = AP site).     

呋喃它酮代谢物时间分辨荧光免疫分析法的建立与应用

建立了Eu3+标记的间接竞争时间分辨荧光免疫分析法( Indirect competitive time-resolved fluoroimmu-noassay , ic-TRFIA)用于鱼肉样品中呋喃它酮代谢物AMOZ的检测。通过单因素实验考察了包被抗原浓度、抗体稀释倍数、竞争反应时间等参数对方法灵敏度的影响。结果表明,ic-TRFIA的最佳反应条件为：包被抗原浓度为0.25μg/mL,抗体稀释5×104倍,最佳竞争时间为50 min。在优化的条件下,方法的检出限( LOD, IC10)为0.01 ng/mL,半抑制浓度(IC50)为0.26 ng/mL,线性范围(IC20~IC80)为0.025~2.83 ng/mL,对鱼样中AMOZ回收率在78.0%~86.0%之间,各样品变异系数均小于15%,与HPLC-MS/MS对比检测结果显示相关性良好。本方法灵敏度高、特异性好,能够满足实际样品的检测需求。     

A novel amperometric sensor for the detection of difenidol hydrochloride based on the modification of Ru(bpy)3 on a glassy carbon electrode

An amperometric sensor for the detection of difenidol, a tertiary amine-containing analyte, was proposed. Ruthenium(II) tris(bipyridine)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/Nafion composite film was suggested to modify the glassy carbon electrode. The modified electrode was shown to be an excellent amperometric sensor for the detection of difenidol hydrochloride. The linear range is from 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 3.3 × 10⁻⁵ M with a correlation coefficient of 0.998. The limit of detection was 5 × 10⁻⁷ M, which was obtained through experimental determination based on a signal-to-noise ratio of three. The sensor was employed to the determination of the active ingredients in the tablets containing difenidol hydrochloride.     

3D nanostructured Ni(OH)2 microspheres as an efficient immobilization matrix of Ru(bpy)3 for high-performance electrochemiluminescence sensor

The electrochemistry and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of novel three-dimensional nanostructured Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/Ni(OH)₂ microspheres were investigated for the first time. The negatively charged porous Ni(OH)₂ microspheres composed of Ni(OH)₂ nanowires were specifically designed to interact with Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. The large surface area and porous structure of Ni(OH)₂ microspheres enhance loading of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and mass transport of the model analyte, tripropylamine (TPA). Excellent ECL performance of the presented sensor was achieved including good stability and wide linear range from 7.7 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 3.8 × 10⁻³ M with the detection limit of 2.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ M to TPA.     

Magnetic relaxation switch and colorimetric detection of thrombin using aptamer-functionalized gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticles

We describe a sensitive biosensing system combining magnetic relaxation switch diagnosis and colorimetric detection of human α-thrombin, based on the aptamer–protein interaction induced aggregation of Fe₃O₄@Au nanoparticles. To demonstrate the concept, gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticle was synthesized by iterative reduction of HAuCl₄ onto the dextran-coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The resulting core–shell structure had a flowerlike shape with pretty narrow size distribution (referred to as “nanorose”). The two aptamers corresponding to human α-thrombin were conjugated separately to two distinct nanorose populations. Once a solution containing human α-thrombin was introduced, the nanoroses switched from a well dispersed state to an aggregated one, leading to a change in the spin–spin relaxation time (T₂) as well as the UV–Vis absorption spectra of the solution. Thus the qualitative and quantitative detection method for human α-thrombin was established. The dual-mode detection is clearly advantageous in obtaining a more reliable result; the detection range is widened as well. By using the dual-mode detection method, a detectable T₂ change is observed with 1.0 nM human α-thrombin, and the detection range is from 1.6 nM to 30.4 nM.