Avidin Induced Silver Aggregation for SERS-based Bioassay

We developed a simple and effective method for the SERS-based detection of protein-small molecule complexes and label-free proteins using avidin-induced silver aggregation. Upon excitation with light of the appropriate wavelength (633 and 532 nm), the aggregated silver nanoparticles generate a strong electric field that couples with the resonance of the molecules (atto610 and cytochrome c), increasing the characteristic signals of these molecules and resulting in sensitive detection. The detection limit of biotin with the proposed method is as low as 48 ng/mL. The most important aspect of this method is the induction of silver aggregation by a protein (avidin), which makes the silver more biocompatible. This technique is very useful for the detection of protein-small molecule complexes