Surface optimization of gold nanoparticle mass tags for the sensitive detection of protein biomarkers via immuno-capture LI-MS.

HPV-induced cervical cancer is one of the most lethal cancers. Therefore, the development of a reliable and accurate method for the early diagnosis of HPV infections is highly important. Here, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were utilized as mass tags in an immuno-capture LI-MS assay for the detection of HPV marker proteins. Through the optimization of the amount of antibodies and surface charges on AuNPs, high antigen detection efficiency with minimal non-specific binding was achieved. With optimized antibody-conjugated AuNPs, low attomole amount of HPV proteins in HeLa cell lysate was quantified.

Plasmonic gold nanoparticles as multifaceted probe for tissue imaging.

The localized surface plasmon resonance property of gold nanoparticles enables their application as a versatile and sensitive imaging probe, with intense colour, enhanced fluorescence and strong MS ion intensity for biological tissue imaging.