Multifunctional substrate of label-free electrochemical immunosensor for ultrasensitive detection of cytokeratins antigen 21-1

Abstract

Abstract Poly(thionine)-Au, a novel multifunctional substrate with excellent redox signal, enzyme-like activity, and easy antibody immobilisation, was synthesised using HAuCl4 as the oxidising agent and thionine as the monomer. The prepared poly(thionine)-Au composite exhibited an admirable electrochemical redox signal at −0.15 V and excellent H2O2 catalytic ability. In addition, gold nanoparticles in this composite were found to directly immobilise antibodies and further improve conductivity. In addition, a label-free electrochemical immunosensor was developed using poly(thionine)-Au as the sensing substrate for ultrasensitive detection of cytokeratin antigen 21-1 (CYFRA 21-1), an immunoassay found in human serum. The prepared immunosensor showed a wide liner range from 100 ng mL−1 to 10 fg mL−1 and an ultralow detection limit of 4.6 fg mL−1 (the ratio of signal to noise (S/N) = 3). Additionally, this method was used to analyse human serum samples and yielded results consistency with those of ELISA, implying its potential application in clinical research. The poly(thionine)-Au composite can be easily extended to other polymer-based nanocomposites, which is significant for other electrochemical immunoassays.