Spectroscopy of the thrombin-aptamer interaction: A review

Thrombin is considered an adaptable enzyme, and it has a major role in the process of injured vessel hemostasis. Hence, the detection of thrombin is crucial in the course of any illness. Aptamers, a class related to functional molecules, are short artificial oligonucleotides that are being widely used in protein sensors as recognition elements. Tracking and detection of different biomolecules is crucial not just in the medical diagnostics field but in biotechnology and biological research, biodefense, drug discovery, drug design, and environmental monitoring as well. Direct detection methods, including surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, are also extensively utilized for the detection of thrombin-aptamer interactions. We summarize the studies on spectroscopy and the thrombin-aptamer interaction in this review.