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A fluorometric aptamer based assay for cytochrome C using fluorescent graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets

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Abstract

A method is introduced for the fluorometric turn-on detection of cytochrome C (cyt c) by using a specific aptamer and nanosheets composed of fluorescent graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets. Bulk g-C3N4 was obtained by pyrolysis of melamine at 550 °C. The nanosheets were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The material was then subjected to protonation and exfoliation to obtain blue fluorescent g-C3N4 nano-sheets. The adsorption of aptamers on the surface of the g-C3N4 nanosheets leads to quenching of its fluorescence (measured at excitation/emission wavelengths of 320/450 nm), but fluorescence is restored on addition of cyt c. Response is linear in the 16 to 140 nM cyt c concentration window, and the detection limit is as low as 2.6 nM. The assay is simple, inexpensive, and can be easily performed. It is selective for cyt c over a number of interfering species. The method was successfully applied to the determination of cyt c in spiked human serum samples.

The adsorption of aptamers on the surface of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets leads to quenching of its fluorescence, which is restored on addition of cytochrome C (cyt c). Response is linear in the 16 to 140 nM cyt c concentration window, and the detection limit is as low as 2.6 nM.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Research Council of University of Tehran for the financial support of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Excellence in Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Foad Salehnia & Mohammad Reza Ganjali

  2. Department of Life Science Engineering, Faculty of New Sciences & Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Morteza Hosseini

  3. Biosensor Research Center, Endocrinology & Metabolism Molecular and Cellular Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Reza Ganjali

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  1. Foad Salehnia
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  2. Morteza Hosseini
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  3. Mohammad Reza Ganjali
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Correspondence to Morteza Hosseini.

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Salehnia, F., Hosseini, M. & Ganjali, M.R. A fluorometric aptamer based assay for cytochrome C using fluorescent graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets. Microchim Acta 184, 2157–2163 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-017-2130-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-017-2130-6

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