Ultrasensitive low-density lipoprotein monitoring in early cardiovascular risk assessment via Cu-MOF-Apt/MoS₂ fluorescent nanosensor.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has emerged as the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), a critical serum biomarker for ASCVD diagnosis, plays a pivotal role in early cardiovascular disease detection and therapeutic monitoring. To address this need, we have developed a highly ultrasensitive fluorescent aptamer sensor based on a copper-based metal-organic framework (Cu-MOF) fluorescent probe. In this system, MoS₂ nanosheets can effectively quench the fluorescence of Cu-MOF via and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Upon LDL binding, the aptamer interaction triggers the release of Cu-MOF-Apt from MoS2, restoring the fluorescence of Cu-MOF. Under the optimal conditions, the developed fluorescent sensor demonstrated broad linear range (0.1-10,000 ng/mL of LDL concentration), ultra-low detection limit (0.0789 ng/mL), excellent reproducibility, stability, and specificity. In addition, it showed good accuracy and precision in human serum samples (with relative errors of 0.09% ∼ 3.00% and relative standard deviations of 1.24% ∼ 3.74%), which can meet diagnostic standards. This work establishes a foundation for early CVD intervention and shows strong potential for point-of-care LDL monitoring, personalized cardiovascular therapy and precision medicine applications.