Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy detection of dopamine by DNA Targeting amplification assay in Parkisons's model

Dopamine is a potent neuromodulator in the brain that influences a variety of motivated behaviors and is involved in several neurologic diseases. We evaluated a bio-barcode amplification assay for its ability to detect dopamine in a mouse model with and without prior administration of the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Our approach uses a combination of DNA barcodes and bead-based immunoassays for detecting neurotransmitters with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). This method relies on a gold nanoplate with adsorbed antibodies and gold nanoparticles that are encoded with DNA and antibodies that can sandwich the target protein captured by the nanoparticle-bound antibodies. C57BL/6 mice were infused intranasally with MPTP (25mg/kg/day) over 7 consecutive days. At 7 and 21 days after the last administration of MPTP, dopamine was found by western blot analysis to have decreased in the midbrain by 37.44% and 92.95%, respectively. Furthermore, the Raman intensity of dopamine in the midbrains of MPTP-treated mice decreased by 56.77% and 61.12% on days 7 and 21, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the concentration of dopamine in midbrain and striatum of MPTP-treated mice can be easily detected using the bio-barcode assay, which is a rapid, high-throughput screening tool for detecting neurotransmitters.