The complexation of pyrene into the cavity of -cyclodextrin ( -CD) has been studied in aqueous solutions of pure -CD and -CD substituted poly(allylamine) by using fluorescence spectroscopy. Two different approaches to obtain the association constant, both already described in the literature, are compared. It is shown that the evaluation of the fluorescence intensities of the first and third vibronic band of the pyrene fluorescence spectrum gives the correct result because the different quantum yields of free and complexed pyrene are considered correctly. The sole analysis of the Ham effect of pyrene leads to too high values of the association constant. A subsequent formation of 1:1 and 2:1 complexes between -CD and pyrene was confirmed. The synthesized -CD polymers exhibit a significant change in the complexation behavior depending on the degree of substitution (DS). At high DS (up to 23%) only 2:1 complex formation was observed, an evidence for intramolecular, chelate-like complexes due to the high local -CD concentration. At low DS (below 5%) 2:1 complexes are formed only intermolecularly. Compared with pure -CD, the overall complexation constant of the -CD polymers increases by more than 2 orders of magnitude with increasing DS and is independent of the polymer molecular weight. The supramolecular structure of the complex is not changed due to the linkage of the cyclic oligosaccharide to the polymer chain.

In protein microarray performance, the choice of an appropriate surface is a crucial factor. Three‐dimensional substrates like nitrocellulose are known to have higher binding capacities than planar surfaces. Furthermore, they can enable the immobilization of proteins in a functional manner. One disadvantage of today's nitrocellulose‐based microarrays is the high background fluorescence, which can interfere with the detection of low‐abundance proteins. We have developed an innovative black nitrocellulose membrane‐based protein microarray that exhibits low autofluorescence in combination with increased sensitivity and improved LOD (limit of detection). The applicability of the novel material was demonstrated with main focus on reversed‐phase microarray experiments. In comparison to various commercially available microarrays, a higher sensitivity in regard to the spotted protein was achieved. In contrast to other porous nitrocellulose‐based microarrays, the black nitrocellulose provides a significant lower autofluorescence and background intensity.

The highly specific and highly sensitive ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) technique is the most commonly used method for immunological diagnostics in general. In combination with protein microarrays and their ability to allow performing thousands of experiments in parallel, a promising tool for global analytical approaches with reduced consumption of time, analytes, and reagents is given. In this study a protein microarray-based sandwich-ELISA for human interferon-gamma (hINF-gamma) is established. In consideration of the immense importance of the surface chemistry, a new black nitrocellulose matrix that generates very high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and a very low autofluorescence was tested and optimized as microarray substrate. A validation of the applicability of the system was performed with a comparison to different commercially available systems. Experimental results show that the microarray-based ELISA is faster and easier to perform and shows a lower limit of detection (LOD) than a comparable system in a 96-well plate. The spotted slides with the capture antibody can be stored up to 1 month with no significant loss of signal intensity. A second model system with immobilized His-tagged restriction enzyme EcoRV and an anti-His antibody shows in coincidence the good applicability of the black nitrocellulose membrane and no cross-reactivity toward the ELISA.

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