3D nanoparticle loaded gellangum hydrogel as a novel sensing tool
Abstract
There is an urgent need for new diagnostic and treatment follow-up tools, which allow the early detection of diseases as well as their continuous monitoring, through their physiological responses to specific therapies. 1
Therefore, during the last years, a new generation of biosensor technologies with improved performance has been developed. The combination of advanced biomaterial methods, biochemical tools and nanotechnology approaches has resulted in the development of innovative 3D biosensors, able to mimic the extracellular cell environment, leading to a more precise diagnosis.1,2 Among the different materials to support 3D biosensors, hydrogel-based systems are considered advantageous over conventional systems, since they provide the ideal conditions to immobilize enzymes and aptamers within the 3D matrix towards specific sensing.3
Regarding the detection techniques, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy has demonstrated to be a powerful analytical tool, offering high sensitivity and selectivity, structural information and multiplexing capacity.5 The combination of hydrogels and nanoparticles has gained increasing attention in recent years, since the nanostructures enable a closer interaction with the target molecules and increase the surface/volume ratio, drastically improving the biosensor performance.4
The main focus of this study was to develop a hybrid novel material, by embedding gold-based nanostructures into gellan gum “spongy-like” hydrogels (GG-SLH), to be used as a SERS substrate for biochemical detection. First, the synthesized nanoparticles were functionalized with Raman reporters and then incorporated into GG-SLH to demonstrate the SERS potential of this novel hybrid material. Further, the efficiency of the incorporation of the nanostructures as well as their morphology, homogeneity and distribution inside the GG-SLH were evaluated. Finally, the 3D nanoparticle loaded GG-SLH was used to detect a relevant cancer metabolite, demonstrating the great potential of this material as a sensing tool for cancer monitoring.
References
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