A Global View on the use of Synthetic Peptides in ELISA-Based Serodiagnosis of Human Infectious Diseases

da Silva Lopes L.; Ribeiro A.J.; Silva B.L.N.; Cassiano C.S.S.; Resende C.A.A.; Santos Barcelos I.C.; Gandra I.B.; Silva K.A.; Santos Silva L.M.; Souza L.S.; Ferreira L.C.; Pereira S.P.; Xavier S.R.; Campos da Paz M.; Giunchetti R.C.; de-Ávila R.A.M.; Fagundes M.Í.; Chavez-Fumagalli M.A.; Ferraz Coelho E.A.; Reyes Martínez J.E.; Araújo M.S.S.; Maia Gonçalves A.A.; Galdino A.S. · Current Medicinal Chemistry (2026) · DOI: 10.2174/0109298673460253260429060728

Resumen

The development of accurate and efficient diagnostic methods is essential to optimize the quality of life of patients. Serological methods using pathogenic antigens have demonstrated high performance in various applications. The use of synthetic peptides as antigens in serological tests has recently shown promising results, especially in the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), as they offer greater specificity, reproducibility, and the ability to overcome limitations associated with crude antigens, which are low in sensitivity and prone to cross-reactions. Combining the advantages of serological testing with synthetic antigens, this review analyzes studies made over the past decade on the use of synthetic peptides in ELISA for the diagnosis of infectious diseases of bacterial, helminthic, protozoan, viral, and fungal origin. A search was conducted on the PubMed database platform using the keywords “serodiagnosis,” “peptide,” “immunodiagnosis,” and “diagnosis.” Publications were selected after reading the titles and abstracts using pre-established selection and exclusion criteria, resulting in 31 eligible publications, which were included in this study. The results showed variation in sensitivity and specificity, with some studies reporting values above 90%. However, there were also low sensitivity and specificity due to several factors, including peptide selection methods, antigen concentration, sample quality, storage issues, and disease stage. This study further shows that synthetic peptide prediction and synthesis tools are an emerging area that could improve serological diagnosis. 2026, Bentham Science Publishers

Instituciones: Universidad Católica de Santa María