Nanostructured sensors containing immobilized nuclear receptors for thyroid hormone detection

Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) are members of the nuclear receptors (NRs) superfamily, being encoded by two genes: TRa and TRbeta. In this paper, the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of the TRbeta1 isoform was immobilized on the surface of nanostructured electrodes for TR detection. The platforms containing TRbeta1-LBD were applied to the detection of specific ligand agonists, including the natural hormones T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine), and the synthetic agonists TRIAC (3,5,3'-triiodothyroacetic acid) and GC-1 [3,5-dimethyl-4-(4'-hydroxy-3'-isopropylbenzyl phenoxy) acetic acid]. Detection was performed via impedance spectroscopy. The biosensors were capable of distinguishing between the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, and/or the analogues TRIAC and GC-1 at concentrations as low as 50 nM. The detection and separation of thyroid hormones and analogue ligands by impedance techniques represents an innovative tool in the field of nanomedicine because it allows the design of inexpensive devices for the rapid and real-time detection of distinct ligand/receptor systems.