The determination of key immune system mediator amino acids, such as histidine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, provides a well-established metabolomic approach to monitoring inflammation and cancer. Histidine, in particular, is a recognized biomarker for evaluating systemic stress and autoimmune inflammatory conditions. However, conventional detection methods are expensive and time-consuming. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) emerges as a promising alternative for fast, sensitive, and affordable optical biosensors.
This study aims to develop highly sensitive SERS substrates based on plasmonic nanomaterials to detect amino acids histidine, tryptophan, and tyrosine, aiming for potential point-of-care applications.
SERS substrates were fabricated based on monolayers of polystyrene nanospheres deposited on silicon and coated with silver films, forming a silver film over nanospheres (AgFON) architecture. The substrates were morphologically and optically characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Photo-induced Force Microscopy (PiFM), and conventional Raman spectroscopy.
SEM and PiFM confirmed the formation of the AgFON architecture and roughness, while conventional Raman spectroscopy verified the creation of active plasmonic hotspots capable of intensifying the signal for biomarker detection compared to powder materials on conventional plane substrates. Thus, the proposed AgFON SERS substrate enables rapid and scalable diagnosis. It offers a low-cost, high-precision point-of-care (POC) solution that can significantly improve the monitoring and treatment of inflammatory, hyperinflammatory and other conditions.
Comissão Organizadora
Pedro Alves da Silva Autreto
Comissão Científica
Ferramenta completa de submissão, avaliação e publicação de anais para eventos científicos.
