Au–Se bonded nanoprobe for prostate specific antigen detection in serum

The detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in serum can realize early diagnosis of prostate cancer and prevent the occurrence of prostate tumors, as well as offering guidance during the therapy. Herein, a Au–Se bonded nanoprobes that can specifically detect PSA was designed and constructed. The peptide chains that can be specifically cleaved by PSA were firstly functionalized with fluorescent dye and selenol, and then bind to the Au nanoparticles to produce the probe. The dye's fluorescence was quenched due to the FRET effect, but recovered by PSA's cutting. The nanoprobe can detect PSA in serum with extraordinary anti-interference ability against other proteins (detection range 1–40 ng/mL). This work provides a new method for the detection of PSA in serum, and has potential guiding significance for clinical PSA detection.