Ultrasensitive Leaky Surface Acoustic Wave Immunosensor for Real-Time Detection of Alpha-Fetoprotein in Biological Fluids
Sana Rauf,
Hafiz Imran Ahmad Qazi,
Jingting Luo,
Chen Fu,
Ran Tao,
Sajid Rauf,
Lei Yang,
Honglang Li,
Yongqing Fu
Affiliations
Sana Rauf
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Education Ministry and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Hafiz Imran Ahmad Qazi
SZU-CASIPP Joint Laboratory for Applied Plasma, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Jingting Luo
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Education Ministry and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Chen Fu
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Education Ministry and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Ran Tao
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Education Ministry and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Sajid Rauf
College of Electronics and Information Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518086, China
Lei Yang
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Education Ministry and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Honglang Li
National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China
Yongqing Fu
Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
We propose an ultrasensitive leaky surface acoustic wave (LSAW) immunosensor based on molybdenum disulfide @ cuprous oxide—gold (MoS2@Cu2O-Au) nanoparticles and subsequent gold staining for the detection of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). MoS2@Cu2O-Au nanoparticles, with their large specific surface area and good biocompatibility, not only capture the secondary antibodies (Ab2) but also amplify the mass loading effect of the acoustic wave sensor in the detection of AFP. The immunosensor signals are further amplified upon injection of gold staining solution. The developed immunosensor achieved a low detection limit of 5.5 and 25.0 pg/mL with and without gold staining, respectively. The immunosensor demonstrated its efficiency for the quantitative detection of AFP in complex biological fluids, including human serum and saliva samples, with excellent selectivity and long-term stability, showing great potential for the quantification of AFP in clinical diagnosis.
