| 초록 |
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is the most common form of dementia, is characterized by a widespread functional disturbance of the human brain. From the statistical report in 2013, just over a tenth of people in the over-65 age group have the disease in United States. In the over-85s, the proportion goes up to about a third. Brain plaque deposition in the form of beta amyloid (Aβ) is a pathological hallmark of AD. The Aβ deposition is facilitated by an isoform of Apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4), which is a dominant genetic risk factor of AD. Here, we present a nanoplasmonic biosensor to detect the dynamics of ApoE4-mediated Aβ aggregation. This sensor is based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of a single gold nanoparticle. In this sensor, ApoE4 is exploited as an inducer of Aβ42 aggregation. According to the LSPR spectra, the aggregation of Aβ42 is more specific and rapid than that of Aβ40. In addition, a detection limit of 50 μM for Aβ42 can be obtained corresponding to the 12.5 nm LSPR-peak shift, which is in line with the requirement for clinical detection. This is the first platform for the real-time detection of Aβ aggregation, mimicking the biological conditions, which can be used to investigate AD directly in the future. |
