A quantum dot-based lateral flow immunoassay for the rapid, quantitative, and sensitive detection of specific IgE for mite allergens in sera from patients with allergic rhinitis

Abstract

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) is increasing worldwide. However, the current systems used to measure levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in sera are associated with several disadvantages that limit their further application. Consequently, there is a need to develop novel highly sensitive strategies that can rapidly detect IgE in a quantitative manner. The development of such systems will significantly enhance our ability to diagnose, treat, and even prevent AR. Herein, we describe our experience of using quantum dot-based lateral flow immunoassay (QD-LFIA), combined with a portable fluorescence immunoassay chip detector (PFICD), to detect serum-specific IgE against Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der-p) and Dermatophagoides farinae (Der-f), two common mite allergens in China. Our data showed that our system could detect serum-specific levels of IgE against Der-p and Der-f as low as 0.093 IU/mL and 0.087 IU/mL, respectively. We also established a standard curve to determine serumspecific IgE concentrations that correlated well with the clinical BioIC microfluidics system. The sensitivity of our assay was 96.7% for Der-p and 95.5% for Der-f, while the specificity was 87.2% for Der-p and 85.3% for Der-f. Collectively, our results demonstrate that QD-LFIA is a reliable system that could be applied to detect serum-specific IgE in accordance with clinical demands. This QD-LFIA strategy can be applied at home, in hospitals, and in pharmacies, with reduced costs and time requirements when compared with existing techniques. In the future, this system could be developed to detect other types of allergens and in different types of samples (for example, whole blood).

Knockdown of lncRNA ANRIL suppresses the production of inflammatory cytokines and mucin 5AC in nasal epithelial cells via the miR-15a-5p/JAK2 axis

“…Point mutations of the miR-15a-5p binding sites were generated using a Site-Directed Mutagenesis kit (Promega Corporation). The WT or MUT ANRIL/JAK2 vectors (10 nM) were co-transfected into HNECs (5x10 6 per well) with mimics NC or miR-15a-5p mimics (10 nM) using Lipofectamine 2000 reagent for 24 h at 37˚C, according to the manufacturer's instructions. After 24 h, relative luciferase activities were detected using a Dual-GLO Luciferase assay system (Promega Corporation).…”

“…In addition, IL-13, which is a cytokine produced by Th2 cells, was verified to a key regulator of the pathogenesis caused by immune-related inflammation ( 5 ). IL-13 can activate eosinophils and promote the production of mucus and growth factors via the regulation of epithelial cells ( 6 ). IL-13-treated human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) are frequently used as an in vitro model for the study of AR ( 7 ).…”

Electrochemical Immunosensor for Human IgE Using Ferrocene Self-Assembled Monolayers Modified ITO Electrode

“…Unlike other methods, electrochemical immunosensors have an advantage in terms of cost and miniaturization [18,19]. Some electrochemical IgE sensors presented a good performance with a low limit of detection (LOD) of~1.5 IU/mL [20] or~0.1 IU/mL [21].…”

Recent Trends in Nanomaterial-Based Biosensors for Point-of-Care Testing

“…To improve the analytical performance, nanomaterials such as quantum dots, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and dye-loaded fluorescent nanoparticles are used as labels (Gong et al, 2017(Gong et al, , 2019Wang et al, 2019) Strip readers containing specific optics are used to measure the optical signal. For example, Tao's group developed quantum dot-based lateral flow immunoassays for detecting serumspecific IgE against Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der-p) and Dermatophagoides farinae (Der-f) (Liang et al, 2020), which can detect serum-specific levels of IgE against Der-p and Derf as low as 0.093 and 0.087 IU/mL, respectively. Jin et al developed quantitative lateral flow immunoassays using highly doped UCNPs for the detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and ephrin type-A receptor 2 with detection limits of 89 and 400 pg/mL, respectively (He et al, 2018).…”