Fluorescent paper strip immunoassay with carbon nanodots@silica for determination of human serum amyloid A1

Abstract

A fluorescent paper strip immunoassay in conjunction with carbon nanodots@silica (CND@SiO2) as a label was developed for the quantitative measurements of human serum amyloid A1 (hSAA1) in serum at clinically significant concentrations for lung cancer diagnosis. Monodispersed CND@SiO2 was prepared by cohydrolysis between silane-crosslinked carbon nanodots and silica precursors via the Ströber method and further attached covalently to anti-hSAA1 (14F8) monoclonal antibody [anti-hSAA1(14F8)] specific to the hSAA1 target. The hSAA1 concentrations were then determined by quantifying the blue fluorescence intensity upon 365nm excitation of the captured hSAA1 with anti-hSAA1(14F8)-CND@SiO2 conjugates in the test line on a paper strip where anti-hSAA1 (10G1) monoclonal antibody was physisorbed. The developed fluorescent paper strip with CND@SiO2 can detect hSAA1 at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 5nM (R2 = 0.995), with a limit of detection of 0.258nM in 10mM phosphate buffer pH 7.4 containing human serum albumin. Theperformance of recovery (90.98–109.17%) and repeatability (coefficients of variation < 8.46%) obtained was also acceptable for quantitative determinations. Theplatform was employed for direct determinationof hSAA1 concentrations in undiluted serum samples from lung cancer patients (relative standard deviation (RSD) < 7.46%) and healthyhumans (RSD < 3.96%). The results were compared with those obtained using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay alongside liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry measurements. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.