Surface plasmon resonance-based immunoassay for procalcitonin

•We developed a surface plasmon resonance based procalcitonin (PCT) immunoassay.•It detects PCT in the range of 4-324 ng mL−1 with a LOD of 4.2 ng mL−1.•It is rapid, simplified and analytically-superior to the conventional procedures.•It determines PCT in diluted serum and EDTA plasma of patients.•It has high precision similar to that of commercial ELISA.

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor has been developed for rapid immunoassay of procalcitonin (PCT) with high detection sensitivity and reproducibility. The 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)-activated protein A (PrA), diluted in 1% (v/v) 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was dispensed on a KOH-treated Au-coated SPR chip, resulting in the covalent binding of PrA in 30 min. This “single-step” PrA immobilization strategy led to the oriented binding of the anti-PCT antibody (Ab) on a PrA-functionalized gold (Au) chip. The leach-proof immobilization procedure is five-fold faster than conventional counterparts, enabling high detection specificity and reproducibility. The IA detects 4-324 ng mL−1 of PCT with a limit of detection (LOD) and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 4.2 ng mL−1 and 9.2 ng mL−1, respectively. It was capable of detecting PCT in real sample matrices and patient samples with high precision. The Ab-bound SPR chips were stable for more than five weeks.