Immunosensing of NT‐proBNP via Cu2+‐based MOFs Biolabeling and in situ Microliter‐droplet Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

Immunoassay of amino‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) was conducted using Cu²⁺‐1,3,5‐benzenetricarboxylic acid metal‐organic frameworks (HKUST‐1 MOFs) as the secondary antibody label, and in situ microliter‐droplet anodic stripping voltammetry detection of Cu²⁺ in 0.1 M HNO₃+1 M NaCl directly on the glassy carbon immunoelectrode. Electrochemical methods, quartz crystal microbalance, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy were employed for material and electrode characterizations. Under optimized conditions, the limit of detection (S/N=3) was 0.33 fg mL^?1, and the analysis of NT‐proBNP in clinical serum samples returned good results.     

A Direct Competitive Homogeneous Immunoassay for Progesterone – the Redox Quenching Immunoassay

A direct competitive amperometric immunoassay format for the detection of haptens and proteins was developed. The method is based on the quenching of electroactivity of ferrocenium, which is coupled to the antigen and used as the primary reporter, upon binding to a monoclonal anti‐ferrocenium antibody, which is coupled to the detection antibody and used as a secondary reporter. A separation‐free progesterone immunoassay with a lower detection limit of 1 ng mL^?1 (3.18 nmol L^?1) in 1 : 2 diluted blood serum was realised by combining two bifunctional conjugates, a ferrocenium‐PEG‐progesterone tracer and a bioconjugate of one anti‐progesterone and one anti‐ferrocenium antibody. The immune complex is formed within 30 s upon addition of progesterone, resulting in a total analysis time of 1.5 min.     

A Highly Selective Poly(thiophene)‐graft‐Poly(methacrylamide) Polymer Modified ITO Electrode for Neuron Specific Enolase Detection in Human Serum

In this study, an impedimetric immunosensor based on polymer poly(thiophene)‐graft‐poly(methacrylamide) polymer (P(Thi‐g‐MAm)) modified indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode is developed for the detection of the Neuron Specific Enolase (NSE) cancer biomarker. First, the P(Thi‐g‐MAm) polymer is synthesized and coated on the ITO electrode by using a spin‐coating technique. P(Thi‐g‐MAm) polymer acts as an immobilization platform for immobilization of NSE‐specific monoclonal antibodies. Anti‐NSE antibodies are utilized as biosensing molecules and they bind to the amino groups of P(Thi‐g‐Mam) polymer via glutaraldehyde cross‐linking. Spin‐coating technique is employed for bioelectrode fabrication and this technique provides a thin and uniform film on the ITO electrode surface. This bioelectrode fabrication technique is simple and it generates a suitable platform for large‐scale loadings of anti‐NSE antibodies. This immunosensor exhibits a wide linear detection range from 0.02 to 4 pg mL^?1 and with an ultralow detection limit of 6.1 fg mL^?1. It reveals a good long‐term stability (after 8 weeks, 78% of its initial activity), an excellent reproducibility (1.29% of relative standard deviation (RSD)), a good repeatability (5.55% of RSD), and a high selectivity. In addition, the developed immunosensor is proposed as a robust diagnostic tool for the clinical detection of NSE and other cancer biomarkers.     

Stripping Voltammetry of Cerium(IIl) with a Chemically Modified Carbon Paste Electrode Containing Functionalized Nanoporous Silica Gel

This research introduces the design of an adsorptive stripping voltammetric method for the cerium(III) determination at a carbon paste electrode, chemically modified with dipyridyl‐functionalized nanoporous silica gel (DPNSG‐CPE). The electroanalytical procedure comprised two steps: the Ce(III) chemical accumulation at ?200 mV followed by the electrochemical detection of the Ce(III)/dipyridyl complex, using anodic stripping voltammetry. The factors, influencing the adsorptive stripping performance, were optimized including the modifier quantity in the paste, the electrolyte concentrations, the solution pH and the accumulation potential or time. The resulting electrode demonstrated a linear response over a wide range of Ce(III) concentration (1.0–28 ng mL^?1). The precision for seven determinations of 4 and 10 ng mL^?1 Ce(III) was 3.2% and 2.5% (relative standard deviation), respectively. The prepared electrode was used for the cerium determination in real samples and very good recovery results were obtained.     

A Sensitive Electrochemical Immunosensor for α‐Fetoprotein Detection with Colloidal Gold‐Based Dentritical Enzyme Complex Amplification

A sensitive and specific electrochemical immunosensor was developed with α‐fetoprotein (AFP) as the model analyte by using gold nanoparticle label for enzymatic catalytic amplification. A self‐assembled monolayer membrane of mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was firstly formed on the electrode surface through gold‐sulfur interaction. Monoclonal mouse anti‐human AFP was covalently immobilized to serve as the capture antibody. In the presence of the target human AFP, gold nanoparticles coated with polyclonal rabbit anti‐human AFP were bound to the electrode via the formation of a sandwiched complex. With the introduction of goat anti‐rabbit IgG conjugated with alkaline phosphatase, the dentritical enzyme complex was formed through selective interaction of the secondary antibodies with the colloidal gold‐based primary antibody at the electrode, thus affording the possibility of signal amplification for AFP detection. Current response arising from the oxidation of enzymatic product was significantly amplified by the dentritical enzyme complex. The current signal was proportional to the concentration of AFP from 1.0 ng mL^?1 to 500 ng mL^?1 with a detection limit of 0.8 ng mL^?1. This system could be extended to detect other target molecules with the corresponding antibody pairs.     

Biometallization‐Based Electrochemical Magnetoimmunosensing Strategy for Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus Particle Detection

A highly sensitive electrochemical immunosensor for avian influenza A (H7N9) virus (H7N9 AIV) detection was proposed by using electrochemical magnetoimmunoassay coupled with biometallization and anodic stripping voltammetry. This strategy could accumulate the enzyme‐generated product on the surface of the magneto electrode by means of silver deposition, which amplified the detection signal about 80 times. The use of magnetic beads (MBs) and the magneto electrode could also amplify the detection signal. Furthermore, a bi‐electrode signal transduction system was introduced into this immunosensor, which is also beneficial to the immunoassay. A concentration as low as 0.011 ng mL^?1 of H7N9 AIV could be detected in about 1.5 h with good specificity. This study not only provides a simple and sensitive approach for virus detection but also offers an effective signal enhancement strategy for the development of highly sensitive MB‐based electrochemical immunoassays.     

A Selective Film Based on Poly(3‐octylthiophene) Doped with Dihydroxyanthraquinone Sulfonate

A stable film of poly(3‐octylthiophene)–dihydroxyanthraquinone sulfonate has been synthesized electrochemically in non‐aqueous solution. The incorporation of dihydroxyanthraquinone sulfonate as an anionic complexing ligand into poly(3‐octylthiophene) film during electropolymerization was achieved and copper ions were accumulated by reduction on the electrode surface. The presence of dihydroxyanthraquinone sulfonate during the electrochemical polymerization of 3‐octylthiophene is shown to impact the sensitivity and the stability of the organic conducting film electrode response. The electroanalysis of copper(II) ions using conducting polymer electrode was achieved by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry with remarkable selectivity. The analytical performance was evaluated and linear calibration graphs were obtained in the concentration range of 50–400 ng mL^?1 copper(II) ion for 240 seconds accumulation time and the limit of detection was found to be 7.8 ng mL^?1. To check the selectivity of the proposed stripping voltammetric method for copper(II) ion, various metal ions as potential interferents were tested. The developed method was applied to copper(II) determination in certified reference material, NWRI‐TMDA‐61, trace elements in fortified water.     

Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Detection of Arsenic(III) at Gold Nanoparticle‐Modified Glassy Carbon Electrodes Prepared by Electrodeposition in the Presence of Various Additives

The simple, fast and highly sensitive anodic stripping voltammetric detection of As(III) at a gold (Au) nanoparticle‐modified glassy carbon (GC) (nano‐Au/GC) electrode in HCl solution was extensively studied. The Au nanoparticles were electrodeposited onto GC electrode using chronocoulometric technique via a potential step from 1.1 to 0 V vs. Ag|AgCl|NaCl (sat.) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ containing Na[AuCl₄] in the presence of KI, KBr, Na₂S and cysteine additives. Surfaces of the resulting nano‐Au/GC electrodes were characterized with cyclic voltammetry. The performances of the nano‐Au/GC electrodes, which were prepared using different concentrations of Na[AuCl₄] (0.05–0.5 mM) and KI additive (0.01–1.0 mM) at various deposition times (10–30 s), for the voltammetric detection of As(III) were examined. After the optimization, a high sensitivity of 0.32 mA cm^?2 μM^?1 and detection limit of 0.024 μM (1.8 ppb) were obtained using linear sweep voltammetry.     

Electroanalytical Determination of Carcinoembryonic Antigen at a Silica Nanoparticles/Titania Sol–Gel Composite Membrane‐Modified Gold Electrode

A highly hydrophilic and nontoxic colloidal silica nanoparticle/titania sol–gel composite membrane was prepared on a gold electrode via a chemical vapor deposition method. With carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as a model antigen and encapsulation of carcinoembryonic antibody (anti‐CEA) in the composite architecture, this membrane could be used for reagentless electrochemical immunoassay. The presence of silica nanoparticles provided a congenial microenvironment for adsorbed biomolecules. The formation of immunoconjugate by a simple one‐step immunoreaction between CEA in sample solution and the immobilized anti‐CEA introduced the change in the potential. The modified procedure was further characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Compared to the commonly applied methods, i.e., the TiO₂ direct embedding procedure, this strategy could allow for antibodies immobilized with higher loading amount and better retained immunoactivity. The resulting immunosensor exhibited high sensitivity, good precision, acceptable stability, accuracy, reproducibility and wide linear range from 1.5 to 240 ng mL^?1 with a detection limit of 0.5 ng mL^?1 at 3σ. Analytical results of clinical samples show that the developed immunoassay is comparable with the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) method, implying a promising alternative approach for detecting CEA in the clinical diagnosis. Furthermore, this composite membrane could be used efficiently for the entrapment of other biomarkers and clinical applications.     

Electrochemical Immunosensor for α‐Fetoprotein Based on Gold Nanoparticles/Graphene‐Prussian Blue

The electrochemical immunosensor for α‐fetoprotein (AFP) was fabricated based on the platform of gold nanoparticles (GNP)/graphene (Gr)‐prussian blue (PB). By electrodeposition, GNP were modified on the surface of the prepared Gr‐PB. The anti‐AFP‐1,1′‐ferrocenedicarboxylic acid (FcDA) as label was directly immobilized on the platform of GNP/Gr‐PB. And after the immunoreactions, the formed complex inhibited the electron transfer and decreased the catalytic current of FcDA toward the reduction of H₂O₂. And in the range of 10–3200 pg·mL^?1, the decreased current is linear with the concentration of AFP, with a detection limit of 3 pg·mL^?1. The developed immunoassay method showed good precision, high sensitivity, acceptable stability and reproducibility, and could be used for the detection of real samples with consistent results in comparison with those obtained by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.     

Electrochemical Enzyme‐Linked Immunoassay for the Determination of Estriol Using Methyl Red as Substrate

Abstract

A new electrochemical substrate for horseradish peroxidase, methyl red, is reported. In this reaction system, horseradish peroxidase can catalyze the redox reaction of methyl red and H₂O₂. Methyl red exhibits a sensitive voltammetric peak at?0.51 V vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode, the decrease of the peak current of methyl red is in proportion to the concentration of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The linear range for determination of horseradish peroxidase is 5.0×10^?8～5.0×10^?7 g mL^?1 and the detection limit is 1.8×10^?8 g mL^?1. The relative standard deviation is 3.3% when 2.0×10^?7 g mL^?1 HRP was sequentially determined 11 times. A voltammetric enzyme‐linked immunoassay method for the determination of estriol was developed, based on this electrochemical system. The linear range for determination of estriol is 1.0～1000.0 ng mL^?1, and the detection limit is 0.33 ng mL^?1. The relative standard deviation for 11 parallel determinations with 200 ng mL^?1 estriol is 4.8%. Some pregnancy serum samples were analyzed with satisfactory results.     

A Novel Label Free Electrochemical Magnetoimmunosensor for Human Interleukin‐6 Quantification in Serum

A novel magnetoimmunosensor, designed for sensitive and selective quantification of interleukin 6, is herein reported. The experimental design involves the covalent immobilization of anti‐interleukin 6 antibody through an amidic bond formed with the carboxyl functionalities provided at the surface of protein G‐functionalized magnetic microparticles, assuring a sandwich‐type immunoassay with electrochemical label free detection. All the experimental parameters involved in the elaboration and testing protocol were optimized. A linear calibration plot between the charge transfer resistance and the logarithmic concentration of interleukin‐6 was achieved in the 1 pg mL^?1 to 1 μg mL^?1 range. A limit of quantification of 1 pg mL^?1 and a detection limit of 0.3 pg mL^?1 were obtained. The optimized magnetoimmunosensor showed an excellent selectivity against some potentially interfering proteins and has been successfully applied for the determination of target protein in human serum, proving its clinical relevance.     

Development of a Creatinine Sensor Based on a Molecularly Imprinted Polymer‐Modified Sol‐Gel Film on Graphite Electrode

An electrochemical creatinine sensor based on a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)‐modified sol‐gel film on graphite electrode was developed. The surface coating of MIP over sol‐gel was advantageous to obtain a porous film with outwardly exposed MIP cavities for unhindered selective rebinding of creatinine from aqueous and biological samples. A fast differential pulse, cathodic stripping voltammetric response of creatinine can be obtained after being preanodized the sensor in neutral medium containing appropriate amount of creatinine at +1.8 V versus SCE for 120 s. A linear response over creatinine concentration in the range of 1.23 to 100 μg mL^?1 was exhibited with a detection limit of 0.37 μg mL^?1 (S/N=3).     

基于酶标抗体和媒介体共吸附于金胶壳聚糖膜的PSA免疫传感器的制备

本文研制了一种用金胶壳聚糖仿生膜来同时固定四甲基联苯胺（TMB）和酶标抗体的新型电化学免疫传感器,用于检测血清肿瘤标志物前列腺特异性抗原（PSA）的含量。固定的TMB作为电子传递媒介体,在扫速小于45 mV/s时,电极表现为一个表面控制过程,而在扫速大于45 mV/s时则表现为一个扩散控制过程。将固定有酶标抗体和TMB的免疫传感器与待测PSA抗原一起培育,在该传感器上形成的免疫复合物通过TMB-H₂O₂-HRP电化学体系进行了测定。在优化实验条件下,PSA的线性检测范围为5-30 ng·mL^-1,检测限为1.0 ng·mL^-1。该PSA免疫传感器制备方法简单,成本低廉,具有较好的稳定性和重现性。     

Sensitive and Simple Electrochemical Detection of Lead(II) with Carbon Ionic Liquid Electrode

In this paper a carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) was fabricated by using ionic liquid 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium ethylsulphate ([EMIM]EtOSO₃) as the modifier and further used as the working electrode for the sensitive anodic stripping voltammetric detection of Pb²⁺. The characteristics of the CILE were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). In pH 4.5 NaAc‐HAc buffer Pb²⁺ was accumulated on the surface of CILE due to the extraction effect of IL and reduced at a negative potential (‐1.20 V). Then the reduced Pb was oxidized by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry with an obvious stripping peak appeared at ?0.67 V. Under the optimal conditions Pb²⁺ could be detected in the concentration range from 1.0 × 10^?8 mol/L to 1.0 × 10^?6 mol/L with the linear regression equation as I_p(μA) = ?0.103 C (μmol/L) + 0.0376 (γ = 0.999) and the detection limit as 3.0 × l0^?9 mol/L (3σ). Interferences from other metal ions were investigated and Cd²⁺ could be simultaneously detected in the mixture solution. The proposed method was further applied to the trace levels of Pb²⁺ detection in water samples with satisfactory results.     

Bismuth Film Microelectrode Modified with Overoxidized Poly‐1‐Naphtylamine Protective Membrane for Enhanced Stripping Voltammetric Detection

The application of protective overoxidized poly‐1‐naphtylamine membrane (ONAP) is demonstrated in combination with bismuth film microelectrode (ONAP‐BiFME) for anodic stripping voltammetric measurement of trace heavy metals in the presence of some selected surfactants. The ONAP membrane was electrochemically deposited on the surface of bare single carbon fiber microelectrode followed by the in situ or ex situ preparation of the bismuth film. The key operational parameters influencing the stripping performance of the ONAP‐BiFME were optimized and its electroanalytical performance was examined in the model solution containing Cd(II) and Pb(II) as test metal ions. The ONAP‐BiFME exhibited significantly enhanced stripping voltammetric response (approximately 70% for Cd(II) and 45% for Pb(II)) in comparison with unmodified BiFME in the absence of surfactants. In the presence of high concentrations, e.g., 20 mg L^?1, of anionic or cationic surfactants, the stripping signal for, e.g., Cd(II) decreased for less than 6% at the ONAP‐BiFME, whereas at the unmodified BiFME the signal attenuated considerably (approximately 38%). Moreover, in the presence of 10 mg L^?1 of nonionic surfactant Triton X‐100, the stripping signals at the bare BiFME were almost completely suppressed, whereas at the ONAP‐BiFME exhibited linear concentration behavior in the examined concentration range from 10 to 120 μg L^?1, with the calculated limit of detection of 5.0 μg L^?1 and 3.4 μg L^?1 for Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively in connection with 60 s accumulation time. The attractive behavior of ONAP‐modified BiFME expands the applicability of bismuth‐based electrodes for measurement of trace heavy metals in real environments, where the presence of more complex matrix can be expected.     

Voltammetric Determination of Pb,Cu and Hg in Biodiesel Using Gold Screen‐printed Electrode: Comparison of Batch‐injection Analysis with Conventional Electrochemical Systems

This article compares the use of batch‐injection analysis (BIA) with a conventional batch system for the anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) determination of Pb, Cu and Hg in biodiesel using screen‐printed gold electrode (SPGE). The optimized BIA conditions were 200 µL of injection volume of the digested samples at 5 µL s^?1 directly on the working electrode of the SPGE immersed in 0.1 mol L^?1 HCl solution. Therefore, BIA‐ASV presented the advantages of low sample consumption, which extended the SPGE lifetime to a whole working day of analyses, and potential for on‐site analysis using battery‐powered micropipettes and potentiostats. Although presenting lower sensitivity than conventional systems, the BIA‐ASV presented detection limit values of 1.0, 0.5 and 0.7 µg L^?1, respectively for Pb, Cu and Hg, a linear range between 20 and 280 µg L^?1, and adequate recovery values (90–110 %) for spiked biodiesel samples.     

A Simple Approach to Simultaneous Electroanalytical Quantification of Acetaminophen and Tramadol Using a Boron‐doped Diamond Electrode in the Existence of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

The present work describes the individual, selective and simultaneous quantification of acetaminophen (ACP) and tramadol hydrochloride (TRA) using a modification‐free boron‐doped diamond (BDD) electrode. Cyclic voltammetric measurements revealed that the profile of the binary mixtures of ACP and TRA were manifested by two irreversible oxidation peaks at about +1.04 V (for ACP) and +1.61 V (for TRA) in Britton‐Robinson (BR) buffer pH 3.0. TRA oxidation peak was significantly improved in the presence of anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), while ACP signal did not change. By employing square‐wave stripping mode in BR buffer pH 3.0 containing 8×10^?4 mol L^?1 SDS after 30 s accumulation under open‐circuit voltage, the BDD electrode could be used for quantification of ACP and TRA simultaneously in the ranges 1.0–70 μg mL^?1 (6.6×10^?6–4.6×10^?4 mol L^?1) and 1.0–70 μg mL^?1 (3.3×10^?6–2.3×10^?4 mol L^?1), with detection limits of 0.11 μg mL^?1 (7.3×10^?7 mol L^?1) and 0.13 μg mL^?1 (4.3×10^?7 mol L^?1), respectively. The practical applicability of the proposed approach was tested for the individual and simultaneous quantification of ACP and/or TRA in the pharmaceutical dosage forms.     

Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Immunosensor for Detection of Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α Based on Functionalized MWCNT‐Gold Nanoparticle/Ionic Liquid Nanocomposite

A novel and highly sensitive electrochemical immunosensor was developed for the detection of protein biomarker tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) based on immobilization of TNF‐α‐antibody (anti‐TNF‐α) onto robust nanocomposite containing gold nanoparticles (AuNP), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and ionic liquid (1‐buthyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide). Functionalized MWCNT‐gold nanoparticle was produced by one‐step synthesis based on the direct redox reaction. The electrochemical properties of nanocomposite were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The anti‐TNF‐α was immobilized or entrapped in the nanocomposite and used in a sandwich type complex immunoassay with anti‐TNF‐α labeled with horseradish peroxidase as secondary antibody. Under optimum conditions, the immunosensor could detect TNF‐α in a linear range from 6.0 to 100 pg mL^?1 with a low detection limit of 2.0 pg mL^?1. The simple fabrication method, high sensitivity, good reproducibility, stability, as well as acceptable accuracy for TNF‐α detection in human serum samples are the main advantages of this immunosensor, which might have broad applications in protein diagnostics and bioassay.     

A New Nanogold-Labeled Immunoresonance Scattering Spectral Probe for Determination of Trace IgG

A kind of 9 nm gold nanoparticles was prepared with the trisodium citrate and used to label goat anti-human IgG to obtain an IgG immunoresonance scattering spectral probe. In pH 5.8 buffer solution and in the presence of polyethylene glycol （PEG）, the immune reaction between gold-labeled goat anti-human IgG and IgG took place, and the resonance scattering intensity at 580 nm （I580nm） was enhanced greatly. The enhanced intensity AIRS is pro- portional to the IgG concentration from 1.3 to 1.5 X 10^3 ng.mL^-1, with a detection limit of 0.78 ng.mL ^-1. This assay showed high sensitivity and good selectivity for quantitative determination of IgG in human serum, with satisfactory results.