Aptasensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer for the analysis of adenosine in urine samples of lung cancer patients

A new aptasensor was designed for the analysis of adenosine based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between CdS quantum dot (QDs) as a donor and polypyrrole (Ppy) as an acceptor. The QDs were covalently bonded to anti-adenosine aptamer where its fluorescence was quenched by Ppy. When Ppy was replaced by adenosine, the fluorescence of QDs was restored and its intensity was proportional to the adenosine concentration. Under the optimized conditions, a linear range was found to be 23-146 nM with a detection limit of 9.3 nM. The method was used for analysis of adenosine in urine samples of lung cancer patients and its accuracy was evaluated by comparison of the results of the proposed method with the standard method of HPLC-UV. Furthermore, the interactions of adenosine molecules with the aptamer were investigated using molecular modeling, including molecular dynamic simulations (MDS). The results demonstrated that each G-quadruplex aptamer can capture two adenosine molecules.