Simple and sensitive progesterone detection in human serum using a CdSe/ZnS quantum dot-based direct binding assay

Anal Biochem. 2015 Aug 15:483:54-61. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2015.05.001. Epub 2015 May 8.

Abstract

In this study, we developed a CdSe/ZnS quantum dot (QD)-based immunoassay for use in determining the presence of progesterone (P4) in human serum. Hydrophilic QDs were conjugated to anti-progesterone antibody (P4Ab) via ethyl-3-(dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) as coupling reagents. After purification, the P4Ab-QD conjugates were immobilized onto the wells of a 96-well microtiter plate, and a direct-binding immunoassay based on the binding of P4 to immobilized P4Ab-QD conjugates had a detection limit of 0.21 ng/ml and a sensitivity of 1.37 ng/ml, with a linear range of 0.385 to 4.55 ng/ml. The proposed immunoassay was successfully used to determine the P4 concentration in real human serum, and the results showed a good correlation with the accredited radioimmunoassay (RIA).

Keywords: 96-Well microtiter plate; CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs); Direct binding immunoassay; Progesterone.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies / metabolism
  • Buffers
  • Cadmium Compounds / chemistry*
  • Calibration
  • Electrophoresis, Agar Gel
  • Humans
  • Immunoassay / methods*
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Progesterone / blood*
  • Quantum Dots / chemistry*
  • Radioimmunoassay
  • Selenium Compounds / chemistry*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence

Substances

  • Antibodies
  • Buffers
  • Cadmium Compounds
  • Selenium Compounds
  • Progesterone
  • cadmium selenide