Resonance light scattering method for the determination of DNA with cationic methacrylate based polymer nanoparticle probes

Narrowly distributed cationic poly (methyl methacrylate-co-diacetone acrylamide) (P(MMA-DAAM)) nanoparticles were successfully prepared by microemulsion polymerization. Photon correlation spectrometer (PCS) measurement and transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation revealed that z-average particle size of P(MMA-DAAM) is ∼27.5 nm. It was found that these cationic nanoparticles interact with DNA through electrostatic interaction to form P(MMA-DAAM)–DNA complex, which significantly enhances the resonance light scattering (RLS) signal. Therefore, a novel method using this polymer nanoparticle as a new probe for the detection of DNA by RLS technique is developed in this paper. The results showed this method is very convenient, sensitive, and reproducible.

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► P(MMA-DAAM) interact with DNA through electrostatic interaction to form complex.
► Interaction cause obvious change in size, morphology and zeta potential of complex.
► The formation of P(MMA-DAAM)-DNA complex significantly enhances the RLS signal.
► Some co-existing species had little effects on the determination of DNA.
► Our approach for DNA detection has a low determination limit (3σ) of 10.01ng mL-1.