Protein microarray is a widely used technique for protein analysis and disease diagnostics. Herein, a novel protein microarray assay using gold nanoparticles and silver nanoparticles as signal reporters and laser ionization mass spectrometry for signal detection has been developed. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is used as a model protein and gold/silver nanoparticles-conjugated anti-beta-hCG antibodies are used for the detection of hCG. By rastering the gold/silver nanoparticles immobilized on the array surface with a UV laser, the nanoparticles underwent laser ionization to generate abundant gold and silver ions for MS detection. The detection limit of the method was determined to be at the attomole level. The nanoparticles sizes have a positive correlation with the mass spectrometric signal intensities for both the gold nanoparticles and silver nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles reporter also produce a stronger signal than gold nanoparticles in the mass spectrometric analysis. The developed method using gold or silver nanoparticles as reporters for detecting hCG in urine sample exhibited a lower detection limit when compared with conventional fluorescence reporter.

Noble metal nanoparticles-based protein microarray

256th National Meeting (2018)

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