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Shell-encoded Au nanoparticles with tunable electroactivity for specific dual disease biomarkers detection
Yuan Zhao1, Yaxin Yang1, Yali Sun1
1Key Lab of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China.
Biosensors & Bioelectronics
|August 1, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed shell-encoded gold nanoparticles for sensitive cancer biomarker detection. These nanoparticles offer amplified electrochemical signals, enabling dual screening of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) with high accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Accurate and sensitive screening of cancer biomarkers is crucial for early diagnosis.
- Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) is a sensitive electrochemical technique.
- Developing novel nanomaterials can enhance electrochemical sensing capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate shell-encoded gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) for electroactive labeling.
- To investigate the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) responses of these Au NPs.
- To develop an electrochemical aptasensor for the dual screening of cancer biomarkers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP).
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Au@Cu2O and Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles.
- Characterization of nanoparticle properties and electrochemical behavior using DPV.
- Engineering of electrochemical aptasensors utilizing shell-encoded Au NPs for biomarker detection.
Main Results:
- Shell-encoded Au NPs exhibited distinct DPV peak potentials attributed to shell species.
- DPV peak currents were amplified and tunable with shell thickness.
- Achieved limits of detection (LODs) of 1.8 pg/mL for CEA and 0.3 pg/mL for AFP.
- Demonstrated multiplexing capability for simultaneous detection of two biomarkers.
Conclusions:
- Shell-encoded Au NPs serve as effective electrochemical signal amplifiers.
- The developed aptasensors offer a non-interfering and amplified dual-screening method.
- These engineered nanomaterials show significant promise for biomedical research and early disease diagnosis.
