Quantitative and Specific Detection of Blood Biomarkers for Accurate Prediction of White Matter Lesions with Cognitive Dysfunction Using Dendrite Gold Nanostar-Based Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Barcode Chips

Early diagnosis and subsequently prompt treatment for white matter lesions (WMLs) are in close relation with the improvement of patient prognosis. However, conventional diagnosis relying on magnetic resonance imaging imaging remains expensive and inconvenient, which makes the search for a simple and sensitive diagnosis a top priority. Herein, a visible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-assisted barcode chip was designed for quantitative and dynamic detection of WML-related blood biomarkers, by utilizing SERS label-embedded dendrite gold nanostar-target molecule antibodies in blood samples. Through this assembly, ultrasensitive biomarker detection for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9), soluble platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and major facilitator superfamily domain containing Mfsd2a was achieved with a wide range of 1 fg/mL to 1 mg/mL and a detection limit of 1 fg/mL in blood. Meanwhile, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was also conducted and had proved the feasibility of this SERS-assisted barcode chip. The results not only indicated that these three molecules were ideal surrogates for predicting WML progression but also provided a promising strategy for visual assessment and quantitative measurement of WML-related biomarkers and would have tremendous potential in biomedical and clinical applications.