Nanoplasmonic monitoring of odorants binding to olfactory proteins from honeybee as biosensor for chemical detection

Odorant binding proteins (OBPs) are key soluble sensitive proteins for odor detections in animal olfactory systems. Here, we present a nanosensor based localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) to monitor binding of small odorant molecules to OBPs from honeybees. The binding of odorants molecules to OBPs, can be quantified by nanocup arrays from 10 nM to 1 mM, with a high refractive index sensing of LSPR wavelength shift in transmission spectra. Linear dose-dependent behavior can be observed in relationship of LSPR wavelength versus analyte concentrations. More than floral odorants, this type of bio-functionalized nanocups also showed potential applications in explosive detections for nitro-compounds such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene and 3-mononitrotoluene. This study demonstrated a LSPR device to monitor interactions between small molecules and proteins, which provided a great biosensor platform for healthcare diagnosis, environment monitoring and food analysis.