Near-infrared light-controlled catalytic hairpin assembly fluorescent biosensor for the sensitive and specific detection of fibroblast activation protein
- 1Department of Cardiology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fujian Cardiovascular Medicine Center, Fujian Institute of Coronary Artery Disease, Fujian Cardiovascular Research Center, Fujian Medical University Heart Center Fuzhou 350001 China
Abstract
Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is significantly upregulated in activated cardiac fibroblasts after myocardial infarction, and its serum concentration is negatively correlated with cardiac function, infarct size, and ischemia score. It is an ideal biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of cardiovascular disease. In this work, a fluorescent biosensor based on a near-infrared light-controlled catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) signal amplification strategy was developed for highly sensitive and specific detection of FAP. First, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are synthesized, and then the surface of the UCNP is modified with sodium citrate via electrostatic adsorption to introduce carboxyl groups, resulting in the formation of carboxyl-functionalized UCNPs. Finally, they were covalently coupled with the photo-controlled hairpin probe (H1) through amide condensation. Under 808 nm illumination, UCNPs emit ultraviolet light to cleave the photocleavable (PC) linker of H1, exposing the S1 binding site. Competitive displacement of free S1 by target FAP initiates CHA cycle amplification, achieving significant recovery of Cy5 fluorescence. Under optimal conditions, the biosensor exhibited a good linear response to FAP, with a detection range of 0.5–6 ng mL−1 and a limit of detection as low as 0.384 ng mL−1. The results of the human serum spiked recovery experiment revealed a recovery rate of 98.2% to 103.4%, with an RSD of less than 4.6%. The constructed biosensor has the benefits of high sensitivity, specificity, good stability, and resistance to matrix interference, demonstrating good potential for application in FAP-related detection.
Related
- mechanoLight: A genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor for visualizing 5-HT2AR mechanotransduction in live cells
- A Porous Chitosan Film-Based Dual-Modal Biosensor Integrated with Catalytic Hairpin Assembly for Sensitive Detection of Escherichia coli.
- Pre-catalytic activation pathway of the Smc5/6 complex
- Biomolecular Identification and Analyte Charge Measurement Using Drain-Current Readings from a Single Transistor: An Asymmetric Dual-Gate a-IGZO FET Biosensor
- Biosensor-enabled single-molecule enzyme activity profiling for function-based molecular counting
BibTeX
@article{wu2026nearinfrared,
title = {{Near-infrared light-controlled catalytic hairpin assembly fluorescent biosensor for the sensitive and specific detection of fibroblast activation protein}},
author = {Jiayi Wu and Xingchun Zheng and Jinhua Huang and En Chen},
journal = {Nanoscale Advances},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1039/d6na00437g},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1039/d6na00437g},
note = {CC BY-NC 3.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Near-infrared light-controlled catalytic hairpin assembly fluorescent biosensor for the sensitive and specific detection of fibroblast activation protein
AU - Jiayi Wu
AU - Xingchun Zheng
AU - Jinhua Huang
AU - En Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Nanoscale Advances
DO - 10.1039/d6na00437g
UR - https://doi.org/10.1039/d6na00437g
AB - Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is significantly upregulated in activated cardiac fibroblasts after myocardial infarction, and its serum concentration is negatively correlated with cardiac function, infarct size, and ischemia score. It is an ideal biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of cardiovascular disease. In this work, a fluorescent biosensor based on a near-infrared light-controlled catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) signal amplification strategy was developed for highly sensitive and specific detection of FAP. First, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are synthesized, and then the surface of the UCNP is modified with sodium citrate via electrostatic adsorption to introduce carboxyl groups, resulting in the formation of carboxyl-functionalized UCNPs. Finally, they were covalently coupled with the photo-controlled hairpin probe (H1) through amide condensation. Under 808 nm illumination, UCNPs emit ultraviolet light to cleave the photocleavable (PC) linker of H1, exposing the S1 binding site. Competitive displacement of free S1 by target FAP initiates CHA cycle amplification, achieving significant recovery of Cy5 fluorescence. Under optimal conditions, the biosensor exhibited a good linear response to FAP, with a detection range of 0.5–6 ng mL−1 and a limit of detection as low as 0.384 ng mL−1. The results of the human serum spiked recovery experiment revealed a recovery rate of 98.2% to 103.4%, with an RSD of less than 4.6%. The constructed biosensor has the benefits of high sensitivity, specificity, good stability, and resistance to matrix interference, demonstrating good potential for application in FAP-related detection.
SN - 2516-0230
ER -