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Cancer immunosensor based on apo and holo transferrin binding.
Sthéfane Valle de Almeida1,2, Juliana Cancino-Bernardi3,4, Jucimara Kulek de Andrade1
1Chemistry Department, Campus CEDETEG, State University of Midwest Paraná, Guarapuava, Brazil.
Mikrochimica Acta
|July 12, 2020
Summary
This study introduces an electrochemical immunosensor for detecting transferrin (Tf) forms, enabling cancer cell identification. The sensor distinguishes cancerous cells from healthy ones by analyzing Tf binding patterns.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Biosensing
- Cancer Biomarkers
Background:
- Transferrin (Tf) plays a crucial role in iron transport and is implicated in cancer progression.
- Overexpression of Tf and altered iron metabolism are observed in various cancer types.
- Developing sensitive and specific methods for Tf detection is vital for cancer diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize an electrochemical immunosensor for quantifying apo-transferrin (apo-Tf) and holo-transferrin (holo-Tf).
- To utilize the immunosensor for the indirect detection and differentiation of cancer cells (A549, MCF-7) from healthy cells (BHK570).
- To establish a novel biosensing platform for advanced cancer recognition.
Main Methods:
- Immobilization of polyclonal anti-transferrin (anti-Tf) antibodies onto an electrode surface.
- Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) using K4Fe(CN)6 redox probe to monitor anti-Tf binding with Tf.
- Application of the immunosensor to detect and differentiate cancer cell lines based on their impedimetric response.
Main Results:
- The immunosensor demonstrated sensitive detection of apo-Tf and holo-Tf with limits of detection around 0.05 ng mL-1.
- Significant differences in impedimetric responses were observed between cancer cells (A549, MCF-7) and healthy cells (BHK570).
- The immunosensor successfully discriminated between cancerous and healthy cell lines with high confidence.
Conclusions:
- The developed electrochemical immunosensor provides a sensitive and selective method for Tf determination.
- The sensor's ability to differentiate cancer cells from healthy cells highlights its potential as a diagnostic tool.
- This approach offers a promising advancement in electrochemical biosensing for cancer recognition.
