Versatile High-Performance Electrochemiluminescence ELISA Platform Based on a Gold Nanocluster Probe

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) face limitations in sensitivity and susceptibility to interference from complex biological matrices.
• Electrochemical luminescence (ECL) offers high sensitivity but requires integration with robust assay platforms.
• Gold nanocluster (AuNC) probes and resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) strategies present opportunities for enhanced ECL performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a versatile, high-performance ECL-ELISA platform combining AuNC-based ECL, ECL-RET, and ELISA technologies.
• To achieve ultrasensitive and specific detection of biomarkers with improved dynamic range and reduced detection limits.
• To demonstrate the platform's applicability for trace biomarker detection in complex biological samples, including serum.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a recyclable MnO2/AuNC-modified glassy carbon electrode for ECL detection.
• Utilizing ECL-RET between AuNC probes and MnO2 nanomaterials to quench ECL intensity.
• Employing an alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-based ELISA to trigger the etching of MnO2, thereby recovering the ECL signal.

Main Results:

• The developed ECL-ELISA platform demonstrated an extremely wide dynamic range and a detection limit two orders of magnitude lower than conventional ELISA.
• The system effectively avoided interference from complex biological samples due to independent ELISA and ECL detection procedures.
• The platform successfully detected various disease-related proteins and trace biomarkers in real serum samples with high sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusions:

• The multifunctional ECL assay platform is versatile, facile, ultrasensitive, recyclable, and suitable for trace biomarker detection in complex biological samples.
• This approach significantly enhances the foundational understanding of ECL devices and expands their application in biological testing and clinical diagnostics.
• The developed platform offers a promising tool for high-throughput clinical diagnosis and sensitive biomarker discovery.