Sensing B-amyloid with amphiphilic cyclodextrin/GO/KLVFF nanohybrid

An early-stage diagnosis could significantly improve the prognosis of severe diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD). Currently, the trend in biomedical research is the realization of fastest, cheapest, and most reliable platforms for the improvement of clinical diagnostic methods. In this scenario, nanotechnology gains the possibility to tailor materials and devices on-purpose. Following this lead, we prepared and characterized, using dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques, a new sensitive nanohybrid for the detection of Aβ-40 and Aβ-42 β- amyloid peptides, selected as biomarkers of AD. Using the thin film hydration method, we decorated the surface of graphene oxide (GO) with amphiphilic cyclodextrin SC16OH nanovesicles entangling the hydrophobic peptide Ada-(PEG)4-KLVFF (Lys-Leu-Val-Phe- Phe, Aβ (16–20)), selected as the recognition entity of Aβ-40 and Aβ-42[1]. The self-assembly between the amphiphilic cyclodextrin heptakis[6-deoxy-6- hexadecylthio-2- poly(ethyleneglycol)]-β-cyclodextrin (SC16OH) and Ada-(PEG)4-KLVFF (Ada-Pep) allowed the solubilization of the peptide in water. Exploiting the electrical behavior of GO and the selfrecognition capabilities of KLVFF, SC16OH/GO@KLVFF system will be addressable for β-amyloid sensing as an integrated electro-optical detection platform.