Selective capture and fluorescent quantification of glycoproteins using aminophenylboronic acid functionalized mesoporous silica coated CdTe quantum dots

Abstract

In this work, aminophenylboronic acid functionalized mesoporous silica coated CdTe quantum dots (APBA-coated QDs) were synthesized and applied to the selective capture and fluorescent quantification of glycoproteins. The as-prepared APBA-coated QDs, relying on the interaction between APBA and cis-diol containing structures, demonstrated excellent selectivity for the glycoproteins. Their high surface area and APBA-enriched silica matrixes give rise to faster binding kinetics and higher binding capacity for the glycoproteins, which further make them attractive for biomedical/chemical sensing applications. Based on the fluorescent properties of the particles, the as-prepared APBA-coated QDs were successfully applied to the fluorescence quantification of glycoproteins. The present study provides a facile strategy to fabricate functionalized fluorescent materials and is of great significance for isolation and detection of glycoproteins in proteomics.