title: Nanoparticle-based substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of bacterial spores.
abstract: The development of ultrasensitive and rapid methods for the detection of bacterial spores is important for medical diagnostics of infectious diseases. While Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic (SERS) techniques have been increasingly demonstrated for achieving this goal, a key challenge is the development of sensitive and stable SERS substrates or probes. This Minireview highlights recent progress in exploring metal nanoparticle-based substrates, especially gold nanoparticle-based substrates, for the detection of biomarkers released from bacterial spores. One recent example involves assemblies of gold nanoparticles on a gold substrate for the highly sensitive detection of dipicolinic acid (DPA), a biomarker for bacterial spores such as Bacillus anthracis. This type of substrate exploits a strong SERS effect produced by the particle-particle and particle-substrate plasmonic coupling. It is capable of accurate speciation of the biomarker but also selective detection under various reactive or non-reactive conditions. In the case of detecting Bacillus subtilis spores, the limit of detection is quite comparable (0.1 ppb for DPA, and 1.5 × 10(9) spores per L (or 2.5 × 10(-14) M)) with those obtained using silver nanoparticle-based substrates. Implications of the recent findings for improving the gold nanoparticle-based SERS substrates with ultrahigh sensitivity for the detection of bacterial spores are also discussed.
authors: State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
authors: Han-Wen
authors: HW
authors: Cheng
authors: Shuang-Yan
authors: SY
authors: Huan
authors: Ru-Qin
authors: RQ
authors: Yu
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers