Moabelo, Koena L.Lerga, Teresa M.Jauset-Rubio, Miriam2023-03-222023-03-222022Moabelo, K. L. et al. (2022). A label-free gold nanoparticles-based optical aptasensor for the detection of retinol binding protein 4. Biosensors, 2(12), 1061. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios121210612079-6374https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12121061http://hdl.handle.net/10566/8622Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) has been implicated in insulin resistance in rodents and humans with obesity and T2DM, making it a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis of T2DM. However, diagnostic tools for low-level detection of RBP4 are still lagging behind. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of T2DM diagnostics that are rapid, cost-effective and that can be used at the point-of-care (POC). Recently, nano-enabled biosensors integrating highly selective optical detection techniques and specificity of aptamers have been widely developed for the rapid detection of various targets. This study reports on the development of a rapid gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-based aptasensor for the detection of RBP4. The retinol-binding protein aptamer (RBP-A) is adsorbed on the surface of the AuNPs through van der Waals and hydrophobic interactions, stabilizing the AuNPs against sodium chloride (NaCl)-induced aggregation. Upon the addition of RBP4, the RBP-A binds to RBP4 and detaches from the surface of the AuNPs, leaving the AuNPs unprotected.enBiotechnologyType 2 diabetes mellitusGold nanoparticlesBiosensingColorimetricArticle