Homing peptide-based ELISA-like method for the selective and sensitive determination of fibrin

Abstract

A novel, homing peptide-based ELISA-like method for the determination of fibrin is presented. Compared to the antibody, homing peptides have lower antigenicity, better biodegradability, and higher penetration ability. In this study, fibrin was coated on the surface of a 96-well plate. Then, the homing peptide (CREKA), which was labeled by horseradish peroxidase (HRP), was added and allowed to react with fibrin. After washing, the TMB–H₂O₂ colorimetric system was utilized for the quantitative analysis of fibrin. The assay showed a linear response toward fibrin concentration in the range of 0.1–10 nM with a correlation coefficient of 0.9976. The limit of detection for fibrin was experimentally determined to be 0.04 nM, based on a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 3. The sensing system has been used for the determination of fibrin in human serum samples. Relative to the conventional methods, this method offers the advantages of high-throughput, stability, simplicity, sensitivity, low cost and selectivity, showing great potential for applications in clinical diagnosis.