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Ergosterol-Targeted Nanocatcher with High Affinity and Capture Efficiency for Ultrafast SERS Detection of Aspergillus
Yu Xu1,2, Shan Hu3, Yunjian Wu4
1College of Intelligent Science and Control Engineering, Jinling Institute of Technology, Nanjing 211169, China.
Abstract:
Aspergillus is more challenging to control than other fungi due to its ability to produce and spread spores that can readily colonize diverse environments. Invasive infection results in severe complications and a terrible mortality of 85.2%, where misdiagnosis can result in critical delays in receiving optimal treatment. The diagnosis relies on laboratory tests, where an accurate and rapid diagnostic method is essential for early detection of invasive Aspergillosis. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is an effective technique for fungal detection. However, its application in Aspergillus detection has been limited due to the low selectivity associated with existing substrates. Based on the mechanism of action of the antifungal drug amphotericin B (AMB), which tightly binds to ergosterol on the cell wall of Aspergillus, our work introduces high-affinity polydopamine (PDA) as a capture carrier, utilizing magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) as magnetic attraction core. Through an in situ polymerization method, PDA was successfully coated onto MNP. The high adhesiveness of PDA enabled the coupling of AMB, enabling the successful preparation of a high-affinity, high-capture efficiency nanocatcher (MNP@PDA-AMB). This approach allowed for in vitro diagnosis (IVD) of Aspergillus with SERS detection using silver nanowire (AgNWs) substrate, demonstrating that the brief capture time (8 min) and entire detection process only takes 20 min. Excitingly, this work also established an enhanced limit of detection (LOD) with 10-102 cells/mL and the requisite reproducibility (RSD < 10%). The proposed method represents a breakthrough in the rapid detection of Aspergillus, offering broad adaptability and significant potential for clinical applications.
Insights
A new magnetic nanocatcher combined with SERS detection offers rapid and sensitive diagnosis of Aspergillus infections. This breakthrough method significantly improves early detection, crucial for combating this challenging fungal pathogen.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Aspergillus poses significant challenges in control and diagnosis due to its resilient spores and high mortality rate in invasive infections.
- Current diagnostic methods for invasive Aspergillosis often lack the speed and accuracy required for timely treatment, leading to critical delays.
- Existing Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrates for fungal detection suffer from low selectivity, limiting their application in Aspergillus detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, highly selective, and efficient method for the rapid detection of Aspergillus.
- To overcome the limitations of existing SERS substrates by creating a high-affinity capture system.
- To establish a potential in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tool for early detection of invasive Aspergillosis.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of magnetic nanoparticles coated with polydopamine (MNP@PDA) via in situ polymerization.
- Functionalization of MNP@PDA with amphotericin B (AMB) to create a high-affinity nanocatcher (MNP@PDA-AMB) targeting Aspergillus.
- Detection of Aspergillus using the MNP@PDA-AMB nanocatcher and silver nanowire (AgNWs) substrate with SERS.
Main Results:
- The MNP@PDA-AMB nanocatcher demonstrated high affinity and capture efficiency for Aspergillus.
- The developed SERS-based method achieved a rapid detection process, with sample capture in 8 minutes and total detection in 20 minutes.
- An enhanced limit of detection (LOD) of 10-10^2 cells/mL and good reproducibility (RSD < 10%) were established.
Conclusions:
- The MNP@PDA-AMB nanocatcher coupled with SERS provides a highly effective and rapid diagnostic approach for Aspergillus.
- This method significantly improves upon existing techniques, offering enhanced sensitivity and selectivity.
- The developed diagnostic tool shows considerable potential for clinical applications in the early detection of invasive Aspergillosis.
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