Evaluation of the apolipoprotein E (apoE)-HDL-associated risk factors for coronary heart disease using duo-functional electrochemical aptasensor

Apolipoprotein E containing high-density lipoprotein (apoE-HDL) and apoE-HDL cholesterol (apoE-HDL-C) are recently recognized as potential biomarkers for coronary heart disease (CHD). We herein developed a two-stage, enzyme-assisted, dual-signal aptasensor that enables a useful electrochemical sensing platform for simultaneous determination of apoE-HDL, apoE-HDL-C, and total HDL-C presented in the sample. The detection scheme consists of two subsystems. In subsystem (I), the level of apoE-HDL is evaluated upon the binding of apoE-specific aptamer and subsequently methylene blue (MB)–labeled DNA displacement occurs on the electrode surface, resulting in electrochemical reduction of methylene blue. In subsystem (II), two kinds of cholesterol levels (apoE-HDL-C and total HDL-C) can be measured. For apoE-HDL-C, the amount of cholesterol in apoE-HDL captured by the aptamer in the first step can be further determined with the aid of surfactant, cholesterol esterase, cholesterol oxidase, and p -aminophenol-mediated electrochemical signal amplification. As for total HDL-C, the amount of cholesterol is determined by the same approach as that used for apoE-HDL-C determination, but without washing (separation). The linear dynamic range for apoE-HDL determination is from 1 to 100 mg/dL ( R 2 = 1.00). For cholesterol standards, the linear dynamic range is determined to be 0–250 mg/dL ( R 2 = 0.98). Finally, serial dilutions of purified human HDL preparations were examined using the newly developed aptasensor; the percentage of apoE-HDL-C to HDL-C was found to be ~10%, which correlated well with previously reported values. In conclusion, we successfully developed an electrochemical aptasensor that allows concurrent quantification of apoE-HDL, apoE-HDL-C, and HDL-C on the same platform, offering an efficient, convenient, and purification-free sensing strategy for predictive CHD biomarkers. Graphical abstract