Highly sensitive electrochemical immunosensor using a protein-polyvinylidene fluoride nanocomposite for human...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Sensitive detection of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is crucial for monitoring differentiated thyroid cancer patients post-treatment.
• Current methods require sensitive, accurate, and stable assays for effective follow-up after thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine ablation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel electrochemical immunosensor for highly sensitive detection of serum Tg antigen.
• To utilize innovative polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microparticle-based nanocomposites functionalized with streptavidin and gold nanoparticles.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a polymer nanocomposite using PVDF microparticles, streptavidin, and gold nanoparticles.
• Immobilization of biotin-labeled anti-thyroglobulin monoclonal antibodies onto the functionalized polymer matrix.
• Characterization of the functionalized matrices using UV-Vis, FTIR, XPS, SEM, dynamic light scattering, and surface energy measurements.
• Electrochemical detection of Tg antigen with analysis of analytical response, linearity, and recovery.

Main Results:

• The developed immunosensor demonstrated a linear response for Tg detection from 2.0 to 10.0 ng/mL (r² = 0.985).
• Achieved excellent limits of detection (0.015 ng/mL) and quantification (0.047 ng/mL).
• Exhibited a high recovery factor of 95.4% at 1.0 ng/mL Tg, indicating accuracy and reproducibility.

Conclusions:

• The innovative polymer-based nanocomposite enables the production of a highly sensitive, selective, and reproducible electrochemical immunosensor.
• This immunosensor shows significant potential for determining low levels of Tg in in vitro assays.
• The developed method may be suitable for analyzing serum samples from thyroid cancer patients during follow-up.