Specific Detection of Carcinoembryonic Antigen Based on Fluorescence Quenching of Hollow Porous Gold Nanoshells with Roughened Surface

Abstract

The detection of tumor biomarkers in the early stage is highly desirable for the therapy of cancer. However, rapid, low-cost, sensitive, and selective detection of biomarkers remains a challenge owing to the sequence homology, short length, and low abundance. This Research Article describes the synthesis of a novel carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) probe using hollow porous gold nanoparticles (HPGNPs) with roughened surface based on fluorescence quenching. For specific detection of CEA, the surface of HPGNP is modified by carboxyl modification, carboxyl activation, and antibody conjugation. Furthermore, to enhance the detection performance, we have systematically optimized the parameters, such as particle size, surfactants, surface roughness, surface hole size, and the molecule-particle distance (MPD). The results demonstrate that the fluorescence quenching efficiency would be enhanced with a larger particle size and surface hole size, roughened surface and a greater MPD. Also, with careful inspection of different surfactants of CTAB and PVP, we find that PVP has the optimal performance on fluorescence quenching. Under these optimized conditions, CEA could be detected with an ultralow detection limit of 1.5 pg/mL, and the probe shows a linear range from 2 to 100 pg/mL. The limit of detection is an order of intensity lower than related methods. Interference experiment results have shown that the influence of the interfering proteins could be neglected in the detection procedure.

Recent applications of paper‐based point‐of‐care devices for biomarker detection

“…CEA is a broad spectrum biomarker for many cancers including breast, liver cancer, gastric, and colorectal cancers . Available methods for CEA detection include ECL , electrochemistry , surface‐enhanced Raman scattering , fluorescent , CL , and MS . These methods usually require high skillful‐operators and well‐equipped laboratories that may be unavailable in less industrious countries.…”

Bio-barcode detection technology and its research applications: A review

“…The assay can also be used to monitor biomarkers in patients suspected of having or at risk of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) or related inflammatory diseases. Xing et al [66] established a method for the synthesis of novel carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) probes based on hollow quenched gold nanoparticles (HPGNP) and fluorescence quenching. By optimizing the experimental conditions, the LOD reached 1.5 pg/mL and the linear range of the probe was 2–100 pg/mL.…”

Anisotropic Gold Nanoparticles in Biomedical Applications

“…When the analyte molecules are close to the metallic nanoparticle, the surface plasmon resonance induces the so called “metal-induced fluorescence quenching” (MIFQ). Hollow porous nanoparticles were used in this contest by Zhao et al [ 94 ] to build a fluorescence quenching-based probe for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). CEA is an important cancer marker and its early detection is fundamental for early diagnosis and treatment.…”