Label free and homogeneous histone sensing based on chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer between lucigenin and gold nanoparticles

•The first assay based on CRET was developed for detection of histone.•The sensitivity increased 4 orders of magnitude over that of the reported method.•The assay is nonenzymatic, label-free, homogeneous, facile and reliable.

In this paper, a label free and homogeneous protocol without recognition elements such as antibody or DNA based on nonenzymatic chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer between lucigenin and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is developed for the detection of histone. This chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer process originated from a chemiluminescent donor–acceptor pair in which the chemiluminescence system of the lucigenin–H2O2 as a donor and AuNPs as an acceptor owing to the overlapping of the chemiluminescence spectrum of the lucigenin–H2O2 system and the absorption spectrum of AuNPs, leading to a significant decrease in chemiluminescence signal from the lucigenin–H2O2 system. However, the presence of histone resulted in the aggregation of AuNPs via the electrostatic interaction between negatively charged AuNPs and positively charged histone, which inhibited the chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer process. Thus the chemiluminescence signal of the lucigenin–H2O2 system was restored. This could be used for the detection of histone with a linear range of 30–500 ng/mL, and a detection limit of 25 ng/mL. This sensitivity increased about 4 orders of magnitude over that of the reported fluorometric method. The proposed strategy for the detection of histone is simple, facile, reliable, and opens a new avenue for the determination of histone.

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