title: Conductive carbon nanoparticles-based electrochemical immunosensor with enhanced sensitivity for alpha-fetoprotein using irregular-shaped gold nanoparticles-labeled enzyme-linked antibodies as signal improvement.
abstract: A new electrochemical immunoassay protocol for sensitive detection of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP, as a model) is designed using carbon nanoparticles (CNPs)-functionalized biomimetic interface as immunosensing probe and irregular-shaped gold nanoparticles (ISNGs)-labeled horseradish peroxidase-anti-AFP conjugates (HRP-anti-AFP-ISNG) as trace label. The low-toxic and high-conductive CNPs provided a high capacity nanoparticulate immobilization surface and a facile pathway for electron transfer. In comparison with conventional label methods, i.e. spherical gold nanoparticles-labeled HRP-anti-AFP and HRP-labeled anti-AFP, the electrochemical immunosensor using HRP-anti-AFP-ISNGs as trace labels exhibited high bioelectrocatalytic response toward enzyme substrate and a wide dynamic range from 0.02 to 4.0 ng/mL with a low detection limit of 10 pg/mL toward AFP (at 3sigma). The developed immunoassay method showed good selectivity and acceptable reproducibility. Clinical serum samples with various AFP concentrations were evaluated by using the electrochemical immunosensor and the referenced enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively, and received in good accordance with results obtained from these two methods.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Analysis and Detection for Food Safety (Ministry of Education and Fujian Province), Department of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Biling
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Dianping
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Guonan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D055910:Antibodies, Immobilized; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006046:Gold; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D055910:Antibodies, Immobilized; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D006046:Gold; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase