Biofunctionalized gold nanoparticles for colorimetric sensing of botulinum neurotoxin A light chain

Botulinum neurotoxin is considered as one of the most toxic food-borne substances and is a potential bioweapon accessible to terrorists. The development of an accurate, convenient, and rapid assay for botulinum neurotoxins is therefore highly desirable for addressing biosafety concerns. Herein, novel biotinylated peptide substrates designed to mimic synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP-25) are utilized in gold nanoparticle-based assays for colorimetric detection of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A light chain (BoLcA). In these proteolytic assays, biotinylated peptides serve as triggers for the aggregation of gold nanoparticles, while the cleavage of these peptides by BoLcA prevents nanoparticle aggregation. Two different assay strategies are described, demonstrating limits of detection ranging from 5 to 0.1 nM of BoLcA with an overall assay time of 4 h. These hybrid enzyme-responsive nanomaterials provide rapid and sensitive detection for one of the most toxic substances known to man.