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Peptide Cross-Linked Poly(2-oxazoline) as a Sensor Material for the Detection of Proteases with a Quartz Crystal Microbalance

Watkinson

Authors

Watkinson



Abstract

Inflammatory conditions are frequently accompanied by increased levels of active proteases, and there is rising interest in methods for their detection to monitor inflammation in a point of care setting. In this work, new sensor materials for disposable single-step protease biosensors based on poly(2-oxazoline) hydrogels cross-linked with a protease-specific cleavable peptide are described. The performance of the sensor material was assessed targeting the detection of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), a protease that has been shown to be an indicator of inflammation in multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory conditions. Films of the hydrogel were formed on gold-coated quartz crystals using thiol–ene click chemistry, and the cross-link density was optimized. The degradation rate of the hydrogel was monitored using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and showed a strong dependence on the MMP-9 concentration. A concentration range of 0–160 nM of MMP-9 was investigated, and a lower limit of detection of 10 nM MMP-9 was determined.

Acceptance Date Jun 7, 2019
Publication Date Jul 8, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Biomacromolecules
Print ISSN 1525-7797
Publisher American Chemical Society
Pages 2506-2514
DOI https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.9b00245
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.9b00245