Enzyme mediated assembly of gold nanoparticles for ultrasensitive colorimetric detection of hepatitis C virus antibody†
Abstract
Based on the aggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) induced by the acetylcholinesterase-catalyzed hydrolysis reaction, we have developed a novel highly sensitive enzyme mediated AuNP assembly based colorimetric method for the ultrasensitive detection of hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV). The change of the AuNP color could be observed with the naked eye directly, and the detection limit achieved was as low as 10â13 g mLâ1 anti-HCV, which was an improvement of 3 orders of magnitude compared to the conventional ELISA method. The developed method is sensitive and affordable, which will be useful for HCV disease monitoring and control in remote areas and resource-constrained countries.