A new strategy for assessing chemo cardiotoxicity risk based on CRP recognition and the application of novel sensing...

Cancer chemotherapy, while enhancing patient survival, is limited by cardiotoxicity. Early monitoring and risk assessment are essential. C-reactive protein (CRP) can serve as an early biomarker for predicting cardiotoxicity during chemotherapy, offering a critical opportunity to develop new cardioprotective strategies. This study used an anti-CRP antibody loaded onto an electrode modified with chitosan (CS) and functionalized carbon black (f-CB) as a target. Due to f-CB's excellent electrical conductivity and CS's high permeability and strong adhesion, an immunosensor for the early monitoring and risk assessment of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity based on CRP-specific immunorecognition was successfully constructed. Under optimal experimental conditions, the immunosensor exhibited excellent linearity in the range of 3.9 × 10^-1 to 4 × 10² ng mL^-1 with a detection limit as low as 3.16 × 10^-1 ng mL^-1, making it more sensitive than ELISA. The immunosensor also demonstrated excellent selectivity, reproducibility, and stability in detecting CRP in a chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity model, with recovery rates ranging from 97.14 % to 107.65 %. This study presents an efficient, accurate, and practical approach for the early detection and risk assessment of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity, thereby supporting a balance between therapeutic efficacy and cardiac safety.