A Schematic Colorimetric Assay for Sialic Acid Assay Based on PEG-Mediated Interparticle Crosslinking Aggregation of Gold Nanoparticles

Sialic acid (SA) is a well-known component of glycoproteins, which have applications in various functional processes on the cell's surface. The colorimetric is a simpler and more convenient method for measuring SA due to its low-cost apparatus and visual signal changes. This work focused on the unpredictable interparticle crosslinking aggregation of the functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in complex media. We proposed a balance of the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO)-type aggregation and molecule-based interaction method to solve this problem. Here, we report a novel colorimetric assay for the determination of SA using 4-mercaptophenyl boronic acid (4-MPBA) as an analyte's recognition molecule, and negative charge PEG(400) was used to repulsive the interparticle crosslinking. The proposed sensing platform shows a linear relationship between the ratio of the absorbance intensity (A(525)/A(660)) and concentration of SA from 0.05 to 8 mM (R-2 = 0.997) and a detection limit of 48 mu M was observed. The novel gold-based colorimetric sensor is easy to fabricate, reproducible in its test performance and has been successfully applied for the detection of SA in biological and healthcare product samples.

Automated summary

A novel colorimetric method for the determination of sialic acid (SA) was developed using 4-mercaptophenyl boronic acid (4-MPBA) as the analyte's recognition molecule, and negative charge PEG (400) was used to repulsive the interparticle crosslinking. The proposed sensing platform showed a linear relationship between the ratio of the absorbance intensity (A(525)/A(660)) and concentration of SA from 0.05 to 8 mM (R-2 = 0.997), with a detection limit of 48 mu M. This gold-based colorimetric sensor is easy to fabricate, reproducible in its test performance, and has been successfully applied for the detection of SA in biological and healthcare product samples.