Microwave triggered metal enhanced chemiluminescence: Quantitative protein determination.
We present a new technology that offers a faster alternative to the chemiluminescence-based detection that is used in protein assay platforms today. By combining the use of silver nanostructures with chemiluminescent species, a technique that our laboratories have recently shown can enhance the system photon flux over 50-fold, with the use of low-power microwave heating to additionally accelerate, in essence "trigger", chemiluminescence-based reactions, then both ultrafast and ultrabright chemiluminescence assays can be realized. In addition, the preferential heating of the nanostructures by microwaves affords for microwave triggered metal enhanced chemiluminescence (MT-MEC) to be localized in proximity to the silvered surfaces, alleviating unwanted emission from the distal solution. To demonstrate MT-MEC, we have constructed a model assay sensing platform on both silvered and glass surfaces, where comparison with the identical glass substrate-based assay serves to confirm the significant benefits of using silver nanostructures for metal-enhanced chemiluminescence. Our new model assay technology can detect femtomoles of biotinylated BSA in less than 2 min and can indeed be modified to both detect and quantify a great many other biomolecules as well. As compared to traditional western blot approaches, MT-MEC offers protein quantification, high-sensitivity detection combined with ultrafast assay times, i.e., <2 min.
Previte
Michael J R
MJ
Institute of Fluorescence, Laboratory for Advanced Medical Plasmonics, Medical Biotechnology Center, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 725 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Aslan
Kadir
K
Malyn
Stuart N
SN
Geddes
Chris D
CD
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D008163:Luminescent Measurements / Q000379:methods*; D008872:Microwaves; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*
D012709:Serum Albumin; D012834:Silver