Surface plasmon resonance sensor for lysozyme based on molecularly imprinted thin films

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Developing selective and sensitive protein sensors is crucial for diagnostics and research.
• Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) offer a promising platform for molecular recognition due to their tailored binding sites.
• Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is a label-free detection technique widely used for biomolecular interaction analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) selective for lysozyme on SPR sensor chips.
• To investigate the effect of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration on the selectivity of MIPs for lysozyme.
• To establish an optimized protocol for enhanced lysozyme detection using MIP-based SPR sensors.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of MIP thin films on gold-coated SPR sensor chips via radical co-polymerization.
• Covalent conjugation of MIPs using N,N'-bis(acryloyl)cystamine.
• Evaluation of MIP selectivity for lysozyme using SPR in the presence and absence of NaCl.

Main Results:

• MIPs selective for lysozyme were successfully synthesized and immobilized on SPR sensor chips.
• The presence of NaCl during polymerization and re-binding significantly influenced MIP selectivity.
• Optimized NaCl concentrations (40 mM during polymerization, 20 mM during re-binding) yielded a selectivity factor of 9.8 for lysozyme detection.

Conclusions:

• SPR sensing technology combined with protein-imprinted thin films provides a powerful tool for constructing selective protein sensors.
• Optimization of salt concentration is a critical factor for enhancing the performance of MIP-based protein sensors.
• This approach holds potential for sensitive and specific detection of target proteins in complex biological samples.