Integrating Aptasensor With Mass-Tag Signal Amplification Strategy for the Detection of Three Steroid Hormones in Serum

IF 1.8 3区化学 Q4 BIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH METHODS

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry Pub Date : 2026-06-14 DOI:10.1002/rcm.70121

Jia Zhao, Huimin Liu, Liujuan Zhan, Wei Shao, Guangming Huang

{"title":"Integrating Aptasensor With Mass-Tag Signal Amplification Strategy for the Detection of Three Steroid Hormones in Serum","authors":"Jia Zhao, Huimin Liu, Liujuan Zhan, Wei Shao, Guangming Huang","doi":"10.1002/rcm.70121","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Rationale</h3>\n \n <p>Steroid hormone testing is critical for assessing endocrine function, diagnosing related disorders, and monitoring therapeutic efficacy. However, current mainstream detection methods have limitations. Although liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), regarded as the gold standard, offers high sensitivity and specificity, it involves complex and time-consuming procedures. Immunoassays such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are simple and fast but are limited by poor throughput for multitarget detection. Therefore, it is crucial to develop an analytical method that streamlines procedures and enables efficient parallel detection of multiple targets.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>We developed an integrated signal-enhanced aptasensor platform for pooled MS detection of three steroid hormones in serum. It combines aptamer recognition with mass-tag amplification. This approach uses biorecognition instead of chromatography, while mass spectrometry enables simultaneous readout of multiple mass tags from combined samples.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>The method was evaluated by detecting three steroid hormones (vitamin D, cortisol, and testosterone) in simulated serum samples and human serum samples. The limits of detection (LODs) for these analytes ranged from 0.411 to 6.796 nM, which are below the established clinical cut-off values for each steroid, demonstrating the requisite sensitivity for detection.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>This integrated signal-enhanced aptasensor outperforms conventional LC–MS/MS in efficiency and ELISA in throughput, enabling the quantification of multiple serum steroid hormones. Therefore, we believe that this method could be potentially useful in the clinical screening of hormone-related disorders and suitable for the analysis of serum.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":225,"journal":{"name":"Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry","volume":"40 17","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2026-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rcm.70121","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"BIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH METHODS","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Rationale

Steroid hormone testing is critical for assessing endocrine function, diagnosing related disorders, and monitoring therapeutic efficacy. However, current mainstream detection methods have limitations. Although liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), regarded as the gold standard, offers high sensitivity and specificity, it involves complex and time-consuming procedures. Immunoassays such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are simple and fast but are limited by poor throughput for multitarget detection. Therefore, it is crucial to develop an analytical method that streamlines procedures and enables efficient parallel detection of multiple targets.

Methods

We developed an integrated signal-enhanced aptasensor platform for pooled MS detection of three steroid hormones in serum. It combines aptamer recognition with mass-tag amplification. This approach uses biorecognition instead of chromatography, while mass spectrometry enables simultaneous readout of multiple mass tags from combined samples.

Results

The method was evaluated by detecting three steroid hormones (vitamin D, cortisol, and testosterone) in simulated serum samples and human serum samples. The limits of detection (LODs) for these analytes ranged from 0.411 to 6.796 nM, which are below the established clinical cut-off values for each steroid, demonstrating the requisite sensitivity for detection.

Conclusions

This integrated signal-enhanced aptasensor outperforms conventional LC–MS/MS in efficiency and ELISA in throughput, enabling the quantification of multiple serum steroid hormones. Therefore, we believe that this method could be potentially useful in the clinical screening of hormone-related disorders and suitable for the analysis of serum.

查看原文本刊更多论文

整合配体传感器与质量标签信号放大策略检测血清中三种类固醇激素。

基本原理：类固醇激素检测对于评估内分泌功能、诊断相关疾病和监测治疗效果至关重要。然而，目前主流的检测方法存在局限性。液相色谱-串联质谱法（LC-MS/MS）具有较高的灵敏度和特异性，被认为是金标准，但其过程复杂且耗时。酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）等免疫测定方法简单、快速，但多靶点检测的通量较低。因此，开发一种简化程序并能够有效地并行检测多个目标的分析方法至关重要。方法：建立了一种集成信号增强的适体传感器平台，用于血清中三种类固醇激素的联合质谱检测。它结合了适体识别和质量标签扩增。这种方法使用生物识别而不是色谱法，而质谱法可以同时读取来自组合样品的多个质量标签。结果：通过检测模拟血清样本和人血清样本中的三种类固醇激素（维生素D、皮质醇和睾酮）来评估该方法。这些分析物的检出限（lod）范围为0.411至6.796 nM，低于每种类固醇的既定临床临界值，表明检测的必要灵敏度。结论：该集成信号增强的适体传感器在效率上优于传统的LC-MS/MS，在通量上优于ELISA，能够定量多种血清类固醇激素。因此，我们认为该方法在激素相关疾病的临床筛查和血清分析中具有潜在的应用价值。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 化学-分析化学

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

5.00%

发文量

219

审稿时长

2.6 months

期刊介绍： Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry is a journal whose aim is the rapid publication of original research results and ideas on all aspects of the science of gas-phase ions; it covers all the associated scientific disciplines. There is no formal limit on paper length ("rapid" is not synonymous with "brief"), but papers should be of a length that is commensurate with the importance and complexity of the results being reported. Contributions may be theoretical or practical in nature; they may deal with methods, techniques and applications, or with the interpretation of results; they may cover any area in science that depends directly on measurements made upon gaseous ions or that is associated with such measurements.

文献相关原料

原料信息

原料厂家

Agilent 8453