Double electrochemical covalent coupling method based on click chemistry and diazonium chemistry for the fabrication of sensitive amperometric immunosensor

A double electrochemical covalent coupling method based on click chemistry and diazonium chemistry for the fabrication of sensitive amperometric immunosensor was developed. As a proof-of-concept, a designed alkyne functionalized human IgG was used as a capture antibody and a HRP-labeled rabbit anti-goat IgG was used as signal antibody for the determination of the anti-human IgG using the sandwich model. The immunosensor was fabricated by electrochemically grafting a phenylazide on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode, and then, by coupling the alkyne functionalized human IgG with the phenylazide group through an electro-click chemistry in the presence of Cu(II). The amperometric measurement for the determination of the anti-human IgG was performed after the fabricated immunosensor was incubated with the target anti-human IgG and then with the HRP-labeled anti-goat IgG at −0.25 V in 0.10 M PBS (pH 7.0) containing 0.1 mM hydroquinone and 2.0 mM H₂O₂. The results showed that the increased current was linear with the logarithm of the concentration of the anti-human IgG in the range from 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ g mL⁻¹ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ g mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 3 × 10⁻¹¹ g mL⁻¹. Furthermore, the feasibility of the double electrochemical covalent coupling method proposed in this work for fabricating the amperometric immunosensor array was explored. This work demonstrates that the double electrochemical covalent coupling method is a promising approach for the fabrication of the immunosensor and immunosensor array.     

Hot electron induced cathodic electrochemiluminescence at AuSb alloy electrode for fabricating immunosensor with self-assembled monolayers

Thin antimony oxide covered AuSb alloy electrode was firstly found to be an excellent cold cathode for generating hot electrons during cathodic pulse polarization. Owing to the injection of hot electrons and the subsequent generation of hydrated electrons, fluorescein iso-thiocyanate (FITC) that cannot be excited in common ECL was cathodically excited at the alloy electrode. Self-assembled thiol monolayers were formed on the electrode surface due to the presence of Au in the alloy, to which strepavidin was covalently bound, and then biotinylated antibody was immobilized through the strepavidin-biotin interaction. As a simple model, an immunosensor for the detection of human IgG (hIgG) using FITC as labeling agent was fabricated. ECL signals were responsive to the amount of hIgG bounded to the immunosensor. The ECL intensity was linearly changed with the logarithm of hIgG concentration in the range of 1.0-1000 ng mL⁻¹, and the detection limit was ca. 0.3 ng mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The proposed immunosensor showed a broad linear range (three magnitudes), good reproducibility and stability, which is promising in detecting FITC-based labels in various types of bioaffinity assays.     

Sandwich-type electrochemiluminescence immunosensor based on N-(aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol labeling and gold nanoparticle amplification

A novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sandwich-type immunosensor for human immunoglobulin G (hIgG) on a gold nanoparticle modified electrode was developed by using N-(aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol (ABEI) labeling. The primary antibody, goat-anti-human IgG was first immobilized on a gold nanoparticle modified electrode, then the antigen (human IgG) and the ABEI-labeled second antibody was conjugated successively to form a sandwich-type immunocomplex. ECL was carried out with a double-step potential in carbonate buffer solution (CBS) containing 1.5 mM H₂O₂. The ECL intensity increased linearly with the concentration of hIgG over the range 5.0-100 ng/mL. The limit of detection was 1.68 ng/mL (S/N = 3). The relative standard deviation was 3.79% at 60 ng/mL (n = 9). The present immunosensor is simple and sensitive. It has been successfully applied to the detection of hIgG in human serums.     

Organic-inorganic matrix for electrochemical immunoassay: Detection of human IgG based on ZnO/chitosan composite

A new strategy to construct amperometric immunosensor for human IgG assay based on ZnO/chitosan composite as sensing platform has been described. This material, which combined the advantages of inorganic species, ZnO and organic polymer, chitosan, can maintain biological activity well. A sequential sandwich immunoassay format was performed on the ZnO/chitosan composite supported by glass carbon electrode (GCE) using goat-anti-human IgG antibody (IgG Ab) and human IgG as a model system. Amperometry was used to determine the amount of horse-radish peroxidase (HRP) fixed on the sensor surface, which was related to the content of the desired human IgG. Assay conditions that were optimized included the amount of labeled antibody, the incubation time and temperature, the pH of the substrate solution, etc. Using hydroquinone as a mediator, amperometric detection at −150 mV (versus SCE) resulted in a detection range 2.5-500 ng mL⁻¹, with a detection limit of 1.2 ng mL⁻¹. The simple manipulations of the construction of ZnO/chitosan composite, as well as low-cost and broad linear range, are the main features of the proposed immunosensing method.     

Citrinin (CIT) determination in rice samples using a micro fluidic electrochemical immunosensor

The development of an electrochemical immunosensor incorporated in a micro fluidic cell for quantification of citrinin (CIT) mycotoxin in rice samples is described for the first time. Both CIT present in rice samples and immobilized on a gold surface electrodeposited on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with a cysteamine self-assembled monolayer were allowed to compete for the monoclonal mouse anti-CIT IgG antibody (mAb-CIT) present in solution. Then, an excess of rabbit anti mouse IgG (H + L) labelled with the horseradish peroxidase (secAb-HRP) was added, which reacts with the mAb-CIT which is in the immuno-complex formed with the immobilized CIT on the electrode surface. The HPR, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) catalyzes the oxidation of catechol (H₂Q) whose back electrochemical reduction was detected on a GC electrode at −0.15 V vs Ag/AgCl by amperometric measurements. The current measured is proportional to the enzymatic activity and inversely proportional to the amount of CIT present in the rice samples. This immunosensor for CIT showed a range of work between 0.5 and 50 ng mL⁻¹. The detection (LOD) and the quantification (LOQ) limits were 0.1 and 0.5 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The coefficients of variation intra- and inter-assays were less than 6%. The electrochemical detection could be done within 2 min and the assay total time was 45 min. The immunosensor was provided to undertake at least 80 determinations for different samples with a minimum previous pre-treatment. Our electrochemical immunosensor showed a higher sensitivity and reduced analysis time compared to other analytical methods such as chromatographic methods. This methodology is fast, selective and very sensitive. Thus, the immunosensor showed to be a very useful tool to determine CIT in samples of cereals, mainly rice samples.     

Macroporous ordered titanium dioxide (TiO2) inverse opal as a new label-free immunosensor

Photonic crystal sensing materials have been validated that they are very sensitive to refractive index changes. Herein, three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) (>50 nm) TiO₂ inverse opal film has been fabricated by the self-assembly technique. Based on the TiO₂ inverse opal film, the optical spectrometer was established for label-free immunosensor. The sensing performance of the 3DOM TiO₂ was investigated using human IgG/goat anti-human IgG couple, which showed that the sensitivity of 3DOM TiO₂ inverse opal film could reach to 1 μg mL⁻¹ (equivalent to 1.5 pg mm⁻²) of protein concentration detection limit. The 3DOM TiO₂ inverse opal has a large internal surface area, low fluorescence background and unique optical properties. These characteristics indicated the feasibility of 3DOM TiO₂ inverse opal in label-free immunoassay.     

A sensitive impedance immunosensor based on functionalized gold nanoparticle-protein composite films for probing apolipoprotein A-I

A sensitive and label-free electrochemical impedance immunosensor via covalent coupling the antibody with functionalized gold nanoparticles (FAuNP) for probing apolipoprotein A-I was presented. The hybrid gold nanoparticles were prepared with a two-in-one strategy, i.e. via the stepwise employment of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and sol-gel techniques, to improve the performance of such a label-free immunosensor, which was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. It was found that this novel FAuNP immunosensor showed higher protein-loading capacity and better response properties (6-17 times) than that fabricated by normal SAM technique did. The remarkably improved properties of the immunosensor were ascribed to FAuNP with the larger surface-to-volume ratio, more free amino linkage groups, and the lower nonspecific protein adsorption. As a result, the thus-prepared antibody-modified immunosensor showed reproducible (R.S.D. = ±3.2%, n = 10) linear response to apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I) antigens in the range of 0.1-10 ng mL⁻¹. The detection limit of this immunosensor was 50 pg mL⁻¹ (corresponding to 1.8 pmol L⁻¹), which was two orders of magnitude lower than that of the traditional methods. These results exhibited the novel immunosensor had a high sensitivity, stability and selectivity for the determination of Apo A-I, especially in clinic microanalysis.     

One step electrochemically deposited nanocomposite film of chitosan-carbon nanotubes-gold nanoparticles for carcinoembryonic antigen immunosensor application

A simple and controllable one-step electrodeposition method for the preparation of a chitosan-carbon nanotubes-gold nanoparticles (CS-CNTs-GNPs) nanocomposite film was used to fabricate an immunosensor for detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The porous three-dimensional CS-CNTs-GNPs nanocomposite film, which offered a large specific surface area for immobilization of antibodies, exhibited improved conductivity, high stability and good biocompatibility. The morphology of the formed nanocomposite film was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the electrochemical behaviors of the immunosensor were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Under the optimal conditions, the proposed immunosensor could detect CEA in two linear ranges from 0.1 to 2.0 ng mL⁻¹ and from 2.0 to 200.0 ng mL⁻¹, with a detection limit of 0.04 ng mL⁻¹. The immunosensor based on CS-CNTs-GNPs nanocomposite film as the antibody immobilization matrix could exhibit good sensitivity, stability, and reproducibility for the determination of CEA.     

Development of an immunosensor for the determination of rabbit IgG using streptavidin modified screen-printed carbon electrodes

Voltammetric enzyme immunosensors based on the employment of streptavidin modified screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) for the detection of rabbit IgG, as a model analyte, were described. Alkaline phosphatase (AP) and 3-indoxyl phosphate (3-IP) were used as the enzymatic label and substrate, respectively. The adsorption of streptavidin was performed by deposition of a drop of a streptavidin solution overnight at 4 °C on the pre-oxidized surface of the SPCEs. The analytical characteristics of these sensors were evaluated using biotin conjugated to AP.The immunosensor devices were based on a specific reaction of rabbit IgG with its biotinylated antibodies, which were immobilised on the modified screen-printed carbon electrodes through the streptavidin:biotin reaction. The immunosensors were used for a direct determination of AP labelled rabbit IgG, and for free rabbit IgG detection using a sequential competitive immunoassay. A calibration curve in the range of 5 × 10⁻¹¹ to 1 × 10⁻⁹ M of rabbit IgG was obtained with a estimated detection limit of 5 × 10⁻¹¹ M (7.0 ng/ml). These immunosensors were stable for 5 months if they were stored at 4 °C.     

Porous redox-active Cu2O-SiO2 nanostructured film: Preparation, characterization and application for a label-free amperometric ferritin immunosensor

A novel Cu₂O-SiO₂ nanostructured particle was synthesized by a solution-phase method and was adopted for construction of a label-free amperometric immunosensor. The porous Cu₂O-SiO₂ nanoparticles had good redox electrochemical activity, large surface-to-volume ratio, film-forming ability and high stability. The physical morphology and structure of Cu₂O-SiO₂ nanoparticles were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The chemical component of Cu₂O-SiO₂ was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and auger electron spectra (AES). The electrode modification process was probed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and the performance of the immunosensor was studied by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurements. To improve the analytical characteristics of the immunosensor, the experimental conditions were optimized. The immunosensor exhibited a good response to ferritin in ranges from 1.0 to 5.0 and 5.0 to 120.0 ng mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.4 ng mL⁻¹. The fabricated immunosensor could make a low-cost, sensitive, quantitative detection of ferritin, and would have a potential application in clinical immunoassays.     

An ultrasensitive luminol cathodic electrochemiluminescence immunosensor based on glucose oxidase and nanocomposites: Graphene–carbon nanotubes and gold-platinum alloy

In the present study, a novel and ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor based on luminol cathodic ECL was fabricated by using Au nanoparticles and Pt nanoparticles (nano-AuPt) electrodeposited on graphene–carbon nanotubes nanocomposite as platform for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). For this introduced immunosensor, graphene (GR) and single wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersed in chitosan (Chi-GR-CNTs) were firstly decorated on the bare gold electrode (GE) surface. Then nano-AuPt were electrodeposited (DpAu-Pt) on the Chi-GR-CNTs modified electrode. Subsequently, glucose oxidase (GOD) was employed to block the non-specific sites of electrode surface. When glucose was present in the working buffer solution, GOD immediately catalyzed the oxidation of glucose to in situ generate hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), which could subsequently promote the oxidation of luminol with an amplified cathodic ECL signal. The proposed immunosensor was performed at low potential (−0.1 to 0.4 V) and low concentration of luminol. The CEA was determined in the range of 0.1 pg mL⁻¹ to 40 ng mL⁻¹ with a limit of detection down to 0.03 pg mL⁻¹ (S N⁻¹ = 3). Moreover, with excellent sensitivity, selectivity, stability and simplicity, the as-proposed luminol-based ECL immunosensor provided great potential in clinical applications.     

Highly sensitive luminol electrochemiluminescence immunosensor based on ZnO nanoparticles and glucose oxidase decorated graphene for cancer biomarker detection

In this work, we reported a sandwiched luminol electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor using ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and glucose oxidase (GOD) decorated graphene as labels and in situ generated hydrogen peroxide as coreactant. In order to construct the base of the immunosensor, a hybrid architecture of Au nanoparticles and graphene by reduction of HAuCl₄ and graphene oxide (GO) with ascorbic acid was prepared. The resulted hybrid architecture modified electrode provided an excellent platform for immobilization of antibody with good bioactivity and stability. Then, ZnONPs and GOD functionalized graphene labeled secondary antibody was designed for fabricating a novel sandwiched ECL immunosensor. Enhanced sensitivity was obtained by in situ generating hydrogen peroxide with glucose oxidase and the catalysis of ZnONPs to the ECL reaction of luminol–H₂O₂ system. The as-prepared ECL immunosensor exhibited excellent analytical property for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the range from 10 pg mL⁻¹ to 80 ng mL⁻¹ and with a detection limit of 3.3 pg mL⁻¹ (S N⁻¹ = 3). The amplification strategy performed good promise for clinical application of screening of cancer biomarkers.     

Electrochemical immunosensor based on nanoporpus gold loading thionine for carcinoembryonic antigen

Nanoporous gold (NPG) has recently received considerable attention in analytical electrochemistry because of its good conductivity and large specific surface area. A facile layer-by-layer assembly technique fabricated NPG was used to construct an electrochemical immunosensor for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). NPG was fabricated on glassy carbon (GC) electrode by alternatively assembling gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol as a cross-linker, and then AgNPs were dissolved with HNO₃. The thionine was absorbed into the NPG and then gold nanostructure was electrodeposited on the surface through the electrochemical reduction of gold chloride tetrahydrate (HAuCl₄). The anti-CEA was directly adsorbed on gold nanostructure fixed on the GC electrode. The linear range of the immunosensor was from 10 pg mL⁻¹ to 100 ng mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 3 pg mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The proposed immunosensor has high sensitivity, wide linear range, low detection limit, and good selectivity. The present method could be widely applied to construct other immunosensors.     

Development of an immunosensor for the detection of testosterone in bovine urine

In the presented work, a disposable immunosensor for the detection of testosterone, an endogenous steroid hormone, in bovine urine has been developed using screen-printed electrodes (SPEs). Due to concerns over the use of steroid hormones as growth promoters, the EU prohibits their use in food producing animals. Consequently, rigorous screening procedures have been implemented in all member states to detect the illegal administration of such compounds. Competitive immunoassays were developed, initially by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and subsequently transferred to an electrochemical immunosensor format using disposable screen-printed carbon electrodes. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was the enzyme label of choice and chronoamperometric detection was carried out using a tetramethylbenzidine/hydrogen peroxide (TMB/H₂O₂) substrate system, at +100 mV. The EC₅₀ values obtained for the assay in buffer and urine gave relatively comparable results, 710 pg mL⁻¹ and 960 pg mL⁻¹, respectively. The linear range obtained for the assay in buffer extended from 0.03 ng mL⁻¹ to 40 ng mL⁻¹; while that in urine ranged from 0.03 ng mL⁻¹ to 1.6 ng mL⁻¹. The corresponding limits of detection (LOD) in buffer and urine were 26 pg mL⁻¹ and 1.8 pg mL⁻¹. Cross reactivity profiles of the antibody have been examined, with notable cross reactivities with 19-nortestosterone (11.6%) and boldenone (9.86%). Precision studies for the sensor demonstrated adequate reproducibility (CV < 13%, n = 3) and repeatability (CV < 9%, n = 3). Recovery data obtained showed good agreement between spiking studies and known concentrations of analyte. Sensors showed stability for 4 days at +4 °C. A sensitive, highly specific, inexpensive, disposable immunosensor, showing excellent overall performance for the detection of testosterone in bovine urine, has been developed.     

A capacitive immunosensor for detection of cholera toxin

Contamination of food with biological toxins as well as their potential use as weapons of mass destruction has created an urge for rapid and cost effective analytical techniques capable of detecting trace amounts of these toxins. This paper describes the development of a sensitive method for detection of cholera toxin (CT) using a flow-injection capacitive immunosensor based on self-assembled monolayers. The sensing surface consists of monoclonal antibodies against the B subunit of CT (anti-CT), immobilized on a gold transducer. Experimental results show that the immunosensor responded linearly to CT concentrations in the range from 1.0 × 10⁻¹³ to 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ M under optimized conditions. The limit of detection (LOD) was 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁴ M. Two more analytical methods were employed for detection of CT using the same antibody namely, sandwich ELISA and surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based immunosensor. The former had an LOD of 1.2 × 10⁻¹² M and a working range from 3.7 × 10⁻¹¹ to 2.9 × 10⁻¹⁰ M whereas, the later had an LOD of 1.0 × 10⁻¹¹ M and a linearity ranging from 1.0 × 10⁻⁹ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ M. These results demonstrate that the developed capacitive immunosensor system has a higher sensitivity than the other two techniques. The binding affinity of CT to the immobilized anti-CT was determined using the SPR-based immunosensor and an association constant (K_A) of 1.4 × 10⁹ M⁻¹ was estimated.     

Prussian blue–gold nanoparticles-ionic liquid functionalized reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite as label for ultrasensitive electrochemical immunoassay of alpha-fetoprotein

In this work, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) protected Prussian blue/gold nanoparticles/ionic liquid functionalized reduced graphene oxide (IL-rGO-Au-PDDA-PB) nanocomposite was fabricated. The resulting nanocomposite exhibited high biocompatibility, conductivity and catalytic activity. To assess the performance of the nanocomposite, a sensitive sandwich-type immunosensor was constructed for detecting alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Greatly enhanced sensitivity for this immunosensor was based on triple signal amplification strategies. Firstly, IL-rGO modified electrode was used as biosensor platform to capture a large amount of antibody due to its increased surface area, thus amplifying the detection response. Secondly, a large number of Au-PDDA-PB was conjugated on the surface of IL-rGO, which meant the enrichment of the signal and the more immobilization of label antibody. Finally, the catalytic reaction between H₂O₂ and the IL-rGO-Au-PDDA-PB nanocomposite further enhanced the signal response. The signals increased linearly with AFP concentrations in the range of 0.01–100 ng mL⁻¹. The detection limit for AFP was 4.6 pg mL⁻¹. The immunosensor showed high sensitivity, excellent selectivity and good stability. Moreover, the immunosensor was applied to the analysis of AFP in serum sample with satisfactory result.     

Ultrasensitive detection of ovarian cancer marker using immunoliposomes and gold nanoelectrodes

Mucin-16 (MUC16) is the established ovarian cancer marker used to follow the disease during or after treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer. The emerging science of cancer markers also demands for the new sensitive detection methods. In this work, we have developed an electrochemical immunosensor for antigen MUC16 using gold nanoelectrode ensemble (GNEE) and ferrocene carboxylic acid encapsulated liposomes tethered with monoclonal anti-Mucin-16 antibodies (αMUC16). GNEEs were fabricated by electroless deposition of the gold within the pores of polycarbonate track-etched membranes. Afterwards, αMUC16 were immobilized on preformed self-assembled monolayer of cysteamine on the GNEE via cross-linking with EDC-Sulfo-NHS. A sandwich immunoassay was performed on αMUC16 functionalized GNEE with MUC16 and immunoliposomes. The differential pulse voltammetry was employed to quantify the faradic redox response of ferrocene carboxylic acid released from immunoliposomes. The dose–response curve for MUC16 concentration was found between the range of 0.001–300 U mL⁻¹. The lowest detection limit was found to be 5 × 10⁻⁴ U mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). We evaluated the performance of this developed immunosensor with commercial ELISA assay by comparing results obtained from spiked serum samples and real blood serum samples from volunteers.     

Determination of progesterone (P4) from bovine serum samples using a microfluidic immunosensor system

Progesterone (P4) is a steroidal hormone with a vital role in the maintenance of human and animal health. This paper describes the development of an immunosensor coupled to glassy carbon (GC) electrode and integrated to a microfluidic system to quantify P4 from bovine serum samples in a fast and sensitive way. The serum samples spiked with a given P4 concentration and a given P4 concentration bound to horseradish peroxide (HPR) were simultaneously added and, therefore, they competed immunologically with sheep monoclonal anti-P4 antibodies that were immobilized at a rotating disk. HRP in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) catalyzes the chatecol (H₂Q) oxidation to benzoquinone (Q). Its reverse electrochemical reduction to H₂Q can be detected at a GC electrode surface at −0.15 V by chronoamperometric measurements. These current responses are proportional to the enzyme activity and inversely proportional to the P4 amount present in bovine serum samples. This P4 immunosensor showed a linear working range from 0.5 to 12.5 ng mL⁻¹. The detection (DL) and quantification (QL) limits were 0.2 and 0.5 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The electrochemical immunosensor had a higher sensitivity than the ELISA method using conventional spectrophotometric detections. However, both methods allowed us to obtain similar detection limits. The immunosensor allowed us to make up to 100 determinations on different samples without any previous pre-treatment. This behavior proved to be suitable to detect P4 in routine veterinary, clinical, biological, physiological, and analytical assays.     

Ferrocenyl-doped silica nanoparticles as an immobilized affinity support for electrochemical immunoassay of cancer antigen 15-3

The aim of this study is to elaborate a simple and sensitive electrochemical immunoassay using ferrocenecarboxylic (Fc-COOH)-doped silica nanoparticles (SNPs) as an immobilized affinity support for cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) detection. The Fc-COOH-doped SNPs with redox-active were prepared by using a water-in-oil microemulsion method. The use of colloidal silica could prevent the leakage of Fc-COOH and were easily modified with trialkoxysilane reagents for covalent conjugation of CA 15-3 antibodies (anti-CA 15-3). The Fc-COOH-doped SNPs were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The fabrication process of the electrochemical immunosensor was demonstrated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Under optimal conditions, the developed immunosensor showed good linearity at the studied concentration range of 2.0-240 U mL⁻¹ with a coefficient 0.9986 and a detection limit of 0.64 U mL⁻¹ at S/N = 3.     

Quantum dots based electrochemiluminescent immunosensor by coupling enzymatic amplification for ultrasensitive detection of clenbuterol

An ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor based on CdSe quantum dots (QDs) has been designed for the detection of clenbuterol. The immunosensor was fabricated by layer by layer and characterized with atomic force microscopic images (AFM) and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). In oxygen-saturated pH = 9.0 Tris-HCl buffer, a strong ECL emission of QDs could be observed during the cathodic process due to the H₂O₂ product from electrochemical reduction of dissolved oxygen. Upon the formation of immunocomplex, the second antibody labeled with horseradish peroxidase was simply immobilized on the electrode surface. The ECL emission decreased since steric hindrance of the immunocomplex slowed down the electron-transfer speed of dissolved oxygen, and also could be greatly amplified by an enzymatic cycle to consume the self-produced coreactant. Using clenbuterol as model analyte, the ECL intensity was determined by the concentration of competitive immunoassay of clenbuterol with a wide calibration in the range of 0.05 ng mL⁻¹ to 1000 ng mL⁻¹, and a low detection limit was 0.02 ng mL⁻¹. The immunosensor shows good stability and fabrication reproducibility. It was applied to detecting practical samples with the satisfactory results. This immunosensing strategy opens a new avenue for detection of residue and application of QDs in ECL biosensing.