Gold metallene-based ECL biosensor to detect miRNA-126 for coronary artery calcification diagnosis

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a pathological change and independent risk factor in cardiovascular diseases. In this work, a gold-based metallene structure was prepared as sensing interface based on mPEG-SH modified Au nanoparticles for the CAC detection. Firstly, a novel nanovesicle was self-assembled with excellent conductivity. The nanovesicles can confine copper nanoclusters and restrict the intramolecular rotation and vibration of copper nanoclusters. So, the luminescence nanovesicle-based confined-induced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) nanoprobe was prepared. Secondly, a novel Au metallene material was constructed by thermally treating the mPEG-SH modified Au NPs. The disulfide bonds provided a stable cross-linked network of Au nanoparticles to form Au metallene with exceptional electron transfer capacity and abundant active sites, which significantly enhanced the ECL intensity of luminescence nanovesicle. Finally, the sensing system was established with DNA catalytic hairpin assembly technology to detect miR-126-3p in the CAC patients' plasma. Combining with the vascular calcification scores obtained from intravenous ultrasound during interventions, the results showed that miR-126-3p can be used as a biomarker for diagnosing CAC lesions. Moreover, the constructed biosensing system had a better AUC value (0.967) over that of the classical PCR method. This Au metallene-based ECL sensor provided an inspiring plasma sample detection strategy for the early screening and auxiliary diagnosis of CAC patients.