A novel fluorescence aptasensor based on PCN-223 as an efficient quencher for sensitive determination of prostate-specific antigen

A novel fluorescence aptasensor based on PCN-223 as an efficient quencher was developed to sensitively detect prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The 5-carboxytetramethylrhodamine (TAMRA)-labeled PSA aptamer was adsorbed on PCN-223 by pi-pi stacking and hydrogen-bonding interactions, which contributed to fluorescence quenching because of the photoinduced electron transfer from TAMRA to PCN-223. In addition, the amount of quenched fluorescence of the PSA-binding aptamer complex-PCN-223 was lower than that of TAMRA aptamer-PCN-223 without PSA (at excitation/emission peaks of 545/582 nm), which can be explained by the fact that the PSA-binding aptamer complexes contributed to the separation of the aptamer from PCN-223. delta F value of fluorescence intensities for TAMRA aptamer-PCN-223 with and without PSA showed a good linear relationship with PSA concentration over a range of 0.1 to 24 ng mL(-1), with a detection limit of 0.05 ng mL(-1). Compared with three metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of UiO-66-NH2, ZIF-67, and Ni-3(HITP)(2) as quenchers, PCN-223 as a Zr-MOF exhibited the highest delta F value for PSA detection. The advantage of PCN-223 could be attributed to its carboxyl, benzene, and porphyrin groups, the large specific surface area and good biocompatibility. This proposed aptasensor can be successfully used to detect PSA in sera of prostate cancer patients. The PSA detection results of this aptasensor were consistent with those which were obtained from hospital by Archtecti2000sr automatic chemiluminescence immunoanalyzer. The proposed aptasensor has potential clinical detection application.

Automated summary

A novel fluorescence aptasensor based on PCN-223 was developed for sensitive detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The aptasensor achieved fluorescence quenching through the interaction between TAMRA-labeled PSA aptamer and PCN-223. The aptasensor showed a good linear relationship between delta F value and PSA concentration, with a detection limit of 0.05 ng mL(-1). PCN-223 exhibited higher quenching efficiency compared to other metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as quenchers.