Apolipoprotein E containing
high-density lipoprotein (
apoE-HDL) and
apoE-
HDL cholesterol (
apoE-HDL-C) are recently recognized as potential
biomarkers for
coronary heart disease (CHD). We herein developed a two-stage,
enzyme-assisted, dual-signal aptasensor that enables a useful electrochemical sensing platform for simultaneous determination of
apoE-HDL,
apoE-HDL-C, and total HDL-C presented in the sample. The detection scheme consists of two subsystems. In subsystem (I), the level of
apoE-HDL is evaluated upon the binding of
apoE-specific aptamer and subsequently
methylene blue (MB)-labeled
DNA displacement occurs on the
electrode surface, resulting in electrochemical reduction of
methylene blue. In subsystem (II), two kinds of
cholesterol levels (
apoE-HDL-C and total HDL-C) can be measured. For
apoE-HDL-C, the amount of
cholesterol in
apoE-HDL captured by the aptamer in the first step can be further determined with the aid of
surfactant,
cholesterol esterase,
cholesterol oxidase, and
p-aminophenol-mediated electrochemical signal amplification. As for total HDL-C, the amount of
cholesterol is determined by the same approach as that used for
apoE-HDL-C determination, but without washing (separation). The linear dynamic range for
apoE-HDL determination is from 1 to 100 mg/dL (R2 = 1.00). For
cholesterol standards, the linear dynamic range is determined to be 0-250 mg/dL (R2 = 0.98). Finally, serial dilutions of purified human HDL preparations were examined using the newly developed aptasensor; the percentage of
apoE-HDL-C to HDL-C was found to be ~10%, which correlated well with previously reported values. In conclusion, we successfully developed an electrochemical aptasensor that allows concurrent quantification of
apoE-HDL,
apoE-HDL-C, and HDL-C on the same platform, offering an efficient, convenient, and purification-free sensing strategy for predictive CHD
biomarkers.