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The development of efficient, reliable, and easy‐to‐use biosensors allowing early cancer diagnosis is of paramount importance for patients. Herein, we report a biosensor based on silver nanoparticles functionalized by peptide aptamers for the detection of a cancer biomarker, i. e. the Mdm2 protein. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were produced and stabilized with a thin PEGylated‐calix[4]arene layer that allows (i) the steric stabilization of the AgNPs and (ii) the covalent conjugation of the peptide aptamers via the formation of an amide bond. These peptide‐conjugated AgNPs were then used to detect Mdm2 via a dual trapping strategy that was previously reported with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Our results showed that replacing AuNPs by AgNPs improves the detection limit by nearly one order of magnitude, down to 5 nM, while the high selectivity of the system and the stability of the particles provided by the calixarene coating allow the detection of Mdm2 in human serum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: calixarenes; colorimetric detection; oncoproteins; peptide aptamers; silver nanoparticles EN calixarenes colorimetric detection oncoproteins peptide aptamers silver nanoparticles 1 1 1 04/29/22 20220401 NES 220401 B The Cover picture shows b the principle of a colorimetric sensor, based on peptide-conjugated silver nanoparticles, for the detection of the cancer biomarker Mdm2. The calixarene-based coating provides an unprecedented stability to the silver nanoparticles, enabling their use as colorimetric reporters for in vitro diagnostics. Front Cover: Peptide-Conjugated Silver Nanoparticles for the Colorimetric Detection of the Oncoprotein Mdm2 in Human Serum (ChemPlusChem 4/2022). [Extracted from the article]