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Protamine/heparin optical nanosensors based on solvatochromism
Yoshiki Soda1, Kye J Robinson1, Robin Nussbaum1
1Department of Inorganic, Analytical Chemistry, University of Geneva Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30 1211 Geneva Switzerland Eric.Bakker@unige.ch.
Chemical Science
|January 10, 2022
Summary
New optical nanosensors detect protamine and heparin in human plasma. This breakthrough uses a novel "hyper-polarizing lipophilic phase" for enhanced sensitivity and selectivity in complex biological samples.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Analytical Chemistry
- Nanoscience
Background:
- Existing optical nanosensors for polyions like protamine and heparin face interference in biological samples due to limited selectivity.
- Current ion-exchange mechanisms struggle with complex matrices such as serum, plasma, and blood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel optical nanosensor with improved sensitivity and selectivity for polyion detection.
- To enable accurate quantification of protamine and heparin in human plasma using optical nanosensors.
Main Methods:
- Development of a new nanosensor utilizing a "hyper-polarizing lipophilic phase" with dinonylnaphthalenesulfonate (DNNS-) and a solvatochromic dye.
- Exploitation of cooperative binding of polyions to DNNS- to modulate the apparent polarity of the organic phase.
- Solvatochromic signal transduction without direct ion exchange with the transducer.
Main Results:
- The novel nanosensor demonstrates significantly improved sensitivity and selectivity compared to existing methods.
- Successfully quantified protamine and heparin in human plasma.
- Results correlate well with the established anti-Xa factor assay.
Conclusions:
- The new nanosensor design overcomes limitations of previous optical polyion sensors.
- This technology enables reliable detection of clinically relevant polyions in complex biological fluids.
- Represents a significant advancement in optical nanosensing for biomedical diagnostics.
