Peptide cross-linked poly (Ethylene glycol) hydrogel films as biosensor coatings for the detection of collagenase

• Published in: Sensors (Switzerland)
• Main Author: Ahmad N.; Colak B.; Zhang D.-W.; Gibbs M.J.; Watkinson M.; Remzi Becer C.; Gautrot J.E.; Krause S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85064721383&doi=10.3390%2fs19071677&partnerID=40&md5=f422ebc5e393f1726541131077dfc033

Peptide cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel has been widely used for drug delivery and tissue engineering. However, the use of this material as a biosensor for the detection of collagenase has not been explored. Proteases play a key role in the pathology of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The detection of this class of enzyme using the degradable hydrogel film format is promising as a point-of-care device for disease monitoring. In this study, a protease biosensor was developed based on the degradation of a peptide cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel film and demonstrated for the detection of collagenase. The hydrogel was deposited on gold-coated quartz crystals, and their degradation in the presence of collagenase was monitored using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The biosensor was shown to respond to concentrations between 2 and 2000 nM in less than 10 min with a lower detection limit of 2 nM. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.