Aptamer-conjugated gold nanoparticles for portable, ultrasensitive naked-eye detection of C-reactive protein based on the Tyndall effect

Background C-reactive protein (CRP) represents an early clinical biomarker that indicates the presence of inflammatory or infectious conditions in the human body. Today’s procedures approved by the Food and Drug Administration imply expensive equipment and highly trained personnel to perform the test. Therefore, a new diagnostic method with high detection efficiency and less cost is urgently needed for delivering rapid and timely results in point-of-care (POC) service. Results Herein, we propose a new, equipment-free, and portable sensing method for the future POC detection of CRP based on the Tyndall effect (TE). In our study, aptamer-conjugated citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (apta-AuNPs) are exploited as the sensing platform. The apta-AuNPs’ interaction with CRP in a saline environment leads to their aggregation, thus enhancing the scattering of light when solution is exposed to 640 nm pointer laser line. Firstly, the enhancement of the scattering light as function of increasing concentration of CRP in solution is measured spectroscopically using a typical 90-degree angle spectrofluorometer and then the measurements are compared to the classic colorimetric detection using an UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Finally, to achieve high portability and accessibility, we demonstrate that the measurement of CRP concentration can be performed with similar accuracy but in a more direct and inexpensive way by using a laser pointer pen as the excitation source and a camera of a low-budget smartphone as quantitative reader instead of most expensive spectrofluorometer. Significance The portable TE-based assay exhibits a wide linear dynamic range (1-60 μg/mL) for the detection of CRP with a limit of detection (LOD) of 92 ng/mL The proposed method is capable to integrate both standard and high-sensitivity CRP analysis in a single procedure with increased sensitivity and prompt delivery of analysis results. Moreover, the sensing procedure is significantly faster than the FDA approved ones with a detection time of only 10 min. Finally, as a proof-of-concept, our findings demonstrate excellent recovery for CRP detection in spiked and diluted urine samples, highlighting the strong potential of this sensing method for POC applications.