Quantitative surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering of phthalocyanine-labelled oligonucleotides

The evaluation of phthalocyanine labels for the surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) detection of oligonucleotides is reported. Three phthalocyanine-labelled oligonucleotides were assessed, each containing a different metal centre. Detection limits for each labelled oligonucleotide were determined using two excitation frequencies where possible. Limits of detection as low as 2.8 × 10(−11) mol. dm(−3) were obtained which are comparable to standard fluorescently labelled probes used in previous SERRS studies. The identification of two phthalocyanine-labelled oligonucleotides without separation was also demonstrated indicating their suitability for multiplexing. This study extends the range of labels suitable for quantitative surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering with silver nanoparticles and offers more flexibility and choice when considering SERRS for quantitative DNA detection.