Occlusion phenomenon of redox probe by protein as a way of voltammetric detection of non-electroactive C-reactive protein

Advanced laser-induced graphene-based electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of C-reactive protein

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a critical biomarker for detecting inflammation and forecasting cardiovascular disease. We present an advanced electrochemical immunosensor utilizing laser-induced graphene (LIG)/MXene-gold nanoparticles (Mx-AuNPs) electrode for CRP detection. The Mx-AuNPs nanocomposite, synthesized via in-situ reduction of HAuCl4 by MXene, leverages MXene's reducing properties for effective nanoparticle deposition, confirmed through scanning electron microscopy. This electrode demonstrates superior electrochemical performance due to enhanced surface area and synergy between LIG and Mx-AuNPs, improving overall electrode conductivity. The Anti-CRP antibody, immobilized via a cysteamine linker, enables CRP detection. The immunosensor achieves excellent detection across 10 pg mL-1 to 10 µg mL-1 CRP, with a low detection limit of 1.45 pg mL-1, and shows high selectivity for CRP. This LIG/Mx-AuNPs-based immunosensor is promising for sensitive CRP detection, aiding early cardiovascular disease diagnosis and improving patient outcomes.

Rapid prediction of acute thrombosis via nanoengineered immunosensors with unsupervised clustering for multiple circulating biomarkers

The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic underscores the need for rapid and accurate prediction of clinical thrombotic events. Here, we developed nanoengineered multichannel immunosensors for rapid detection of circulating biomarkers associated with thrombosis, including C-reactive protein (CRP), calprotectin, soluble platelet selectin (sP-selectin), and D-dimer. We fabricated the immunosensors using fiber laser engraving of carbon nanotubes and CO2 laser cutting of microfluidic channels, along with the electrochemical deposition of gold nanoparticles to conjugate with biomarker-specific aptamers and antibody. Using unsupervised clustering based on four biomarker concentrations, we predicted thrombotic events in 49 of 53 patients. The four-biomarker combination yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.95, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity for acute thrombosis prediction compared to the AUC values for individual biomarkers: CRP (0.773), calprotectin (0.711), sP-selectin (0.683), and D-dimer (0.739). Thus, a nanoengineered multichannel platform with unsupervised clustering provides accurate and efficient methods for predicting thrombosis, guiding personalized medicine.

Advances in heart failure monitoring: Biosensors targeting molecular markers in peripheral bio-fluids

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), especially chronic heart failure, threaten many patients' lives worldwide. Because of its slow course and complex causes, its clinical screening, diagnosis, and prognosis are essential challenges. Clinical biomarkers and biosensor technologies can rapidly screen and diagnose. Multiple types of biomarkers are employed for screening purposes, precise diagnosis, and treatment follow-up. This article provides an up-to-date overview of the biomarkers associated with the six main heart failure etiology pathways. Plasma natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponins (cTnT, cTnl) are still analyzed as gold-standard markers for heart failure. Other complementary biomarkers include growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), circulating Galactose Lectin 3 (Gal-3), soluble interleukin (sST2), C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). For these biomarkers, the electrochemical biosensors have exhibited sufficient sensitivity, detection limit, and specificity. This review systematically summarizes the latest molecular biomarkers and sensors for heart failure, which will provide comprehensive and cutting-edge authoritative scientific information for biomedical and electronic-sensing researchers in the field of heart failure, as well as patients. In addition, our proposed future outlook may provide new research ideas for researchers.

Investigation of Peptides for Molecular Recognition of C-Reactive Protein-Theoretical and Experimental Studies

We investigate the interactions between C-reactive protein (CRP) and new CRP-binding peptide materials using experimental (biological and physicochemical) methods with the support of theoretical simulations (computational modeling analysis). Three specific CRP-binding peptides (P2, P3, and P9) derived from an M13 bacteriophage have been identified using phage-display technology. The binding efficiency of the peptides exposed on phages toward the CRP protein was demonstrated via biological methods. Fibers of the selected phages/peptides interact differently due to different compositions of amino acid sequences on the exposed peptides, which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Numerical and experimental studies consistently showed that the P3 peptide is the best CRP binder. A combination of theoretical and experimental methods demonstrates that identifying the best binder can be performed simply, cheaply, and fast. Such an approach has not been reported previously for peptide screening and demonstrates a new trend in science where calculations can replace or support laborious experimental techniques. Finally, the best CRP binder─the P3 peptide─was used for CRP recognition on silicate-modified indium tin oxide-coated glass electrodes. The obtained electrodes exhibit a wide range of operation (1.0-100 μg mL-1) with a detection limit (LOD = 3σ/S) of 0.34 μg mL-1. Moreover, the dissociation constant Kd of 4.2 ± 0.144 μg mL-1 (35 ± 1.2 nM) was evaluated from the change in the current. The selectivity of the obtained electrode was demonstrated in the presence of three interfering proteins. These results prove that the presented P3 peptide is a potential candidate as a receptor for CRP, which can replace specific antibodies.

Approaches and Challenges for Biosensors for Acute and Chronic Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is a cardiovascular disease defined by several symptoms that occur when the heart cannot supply the blood needed by the tissues. HF, which affects approximately 64 million people worldwide and whose incidence and prevalence are increasing, has an important place in terms of public health and healthcare costs. Therefore, developing and enhancing diagnostic and prognostic sensors is an urgent need. Using various biomarkers for this purpose is a significant breakthrough. It is possible to classify the biomarkers used in HF: associated with myocardial and vascular stretch (B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), N-terminal proBNP and troponin), related to neurohormonal pathways (aldosterone and plasma renin activity), and associated with myocardial fibrosis and hypertrophy (soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 and galactin 3). There is an increasing demand for the design of fast, portable, and low-cost biosensing devices for the biomarkers related to HF. Biosensors play a significant role in early diagnosis as an alternative to time-consuming and expensive laboratory analysis. In this review, the most influential and novel biosensor applications for acute and chronic HF will be discussed in detail. These studies will be evaluated in terms of advantages, disadvantages, sensitivity, applicability, user-friendliness, etc.

Fabrication of a Disposable Electrochemical Immunosensor Based on Nanochannel Array Modified Electrodes and Gated Electrochemical Signals for Sensitive Determination of C-Reactive Protein

Sensitive determination of C-reactive protein (CRP) is of great significance because it is an early indicator of inflammation in cardiovascular disease and acute myocardial infarction. A disposable electrode with an integrated three-electrode system (working, reference, and counter electrodes) has great potential in the detection of biomarkers. In this work, an electrochemical immunosensing platform was fabricated on disposable and integrated screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) by introducing nanochannel arrays and gated electrochemical signals, which can achieve the sensitive detection of CRP in serum. To introduce active reactive groups for the fabrication of immuno-recognitive interface, vertically-ordered mesoporous silica-nanochannel film (VMSF) with rich amino groups (NH₂-VMSF) was rapidly grown by electrochemical assisted self-assembly (EASA). The electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ErGO) synthesized in situ during the growth of NH₂-VMSF was used as a conductive adhesive glue to achieve stable bonding of the nanochannel array (NH₂-VMSF/ErGO/SPCE). After the amino group on the outer surface of NH₂-VMSF reacted with bifunctional glutaraldehyde (GA/NH₂-VMSF/ErGO/SPCE), the converted aldehyde surface was applied for covalent immobilization of the recognitive antibody (Ab) followed with the blocking of the non-specific sites. The fabricated immunosensor, Ab/GA/NH₂-VMSF/ErGO/SPCE, enables sensitive detection of CRP in the range from 10 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL with low limit of detection (LOD, 8 pg/mL, S/N = 3). The immunosensor possessed high selectivity and can realize reliable determination of CRP in human serum.

Electroanalytical point-of-care detection of gold standard and emerging cardiac biomarkers for stratification and monitoring in intensive care medicine - a review

Determination of specific cardiac biomarkers (CBs) during the diagnosis and management of adverse cardiovascular events such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has become commonplace in emergency department (ED), cardiology and many other ward settings. Cardiac troponins (cTnT and cTnI) and natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT-pro-BNP) are the preferred biomarkers in clinical practice for the diagnostic workup of AMI, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and other types of myocardial ischaemia and heart failure (HF), while the roles and possible clinical applications of several other potential biomarkers continue to be evaluated and are the subject of several comprehensive reviews. The requirement for rapid, repeated testing of a small number of CBs in ED and cardiology patients has led to the development of point-of-care (PoC) technology to circumvent the need for remote and lengthy testing procedures in the hospital pathology laboratories. Electroanalytical sensing platforms have the potential to meet these requirements. This review aims firstly to reflect on the potential benefits of rapid CB testing in critically ill patients, a very distinct cohort of patients with deranged baseline levels of CBs. We summarise their source and clinical relevance and are the first to report the required analytical ranges for such technology to be of value in this patient cohort. Secondly, we review the current electrochemical approaches, including its sub-variants such as photoelectrochemical and electrochemiluminescence, for the determination  of important CBs highlighting the various strategies used, namely the use of micro- and nanomaterials, to maximise the sensitivities and selectivities of such approaches. Finally, we consider the challenges that must be overcome to allow for the commercialisation of this technology and transition into intensive care medicine.

Buried-Gate MWCNT FET-Based Nanobiosensing Device for Real-Time Detection of CRP

C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute-phase protein synthesized in the liver in response to inflammation, is one of the biomarkers used for the detection of several diseases. Sepsis and cardiovascular diseases are two of the most important diseases for which detection of CRP at very early stages in the clinical range can help avert serious consequences. Here, a CNT-based nanobiosensing system, which is portable and reproducible, is used for label-free, online detection of CRP. The system consists of an aptameric CNT-based field-effect transistor benefiting from a buried gate geometry with Al₂O₃ as a high dielectric layer and can reflect the pro-cytokine concentration. Test results show that the device responds to CRP changes within 8 min, with a limit of detection as low as 150 pM (0.017 mg L^-1). The device was found to have a linear behavior in the range of 0.43-42.86 nM (0.05-5 mg L^-1). The selectivity of the device was tested with TNF-α, IL-6, and BSA, to which the nanosensing system showed no significant response compared with CRP. The device showed good stability for 14 days and was completely reproducible during this period. These findings indicate that the proposed portable system is a potential candidate for CRP measurements in the clinical range.

The Bioanalytical and Biomedical Applications of Polymer Modified Substrates

Polymers with different structures and morphology have been extensively used to construct functionalized surfaces for a wide range of applications because the physicochemical properties of polymers can be finely adjusted by their molecular weights, polydispersity and configurations, as well as the chemical structures and natures of monomers. In particular, the specific functions of polymers can be easily achieved at post-synthesis by the attachment of different kinds of active molecules such as recognition ligand, peptides, aptamers and antibodies. In this review, the recent advances in the bioanalytical and biomedical applications of polymer modified substrates were summarized with subsections on functionalization using branched polymers, polymer brushes and polymer hydrogels. The review focuses on their applications as biosensors with excellent analytical performance and/or as nonfouling surfaces with efficient antibacterial activity. Finally, we discuss the perspectives and future directions of polymer modified substrates in the development of biodevices for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases.

Oriented Antibody Covalent Immobilization for Label-Free Impedimetric Detection of C-Reactive Protein via Direct and Sandwich Immunoassays

The detection and monitoring of biological markers as disease indicators in a simple manner is a subject of international interest. In this work, we report two simple and sensitive label-free impedimetric immunoassays for the detection of C-reactive protein (CRP). The gold electrode modified with boronic acid-terminated self-assembled monolayers afforded oriented immobilization of capture glycosylated antibody (antihuman CRP monoclonal antibody, mAb). This antibody-modified surface was able to capture human CRP protein, and the impedance signal showed linear dependence with CRP concentration. We confirmed the immobilization of anti-CRP mAb using surface sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance. The oriented covalent immobilization of mAb was achieved using glycosylated Fc (fragment, crystallizable) region specific to boronic acid. The direct immunoassay exhibited a linear curve for concentration range up to 100 ng ml^-1. The limit of detection (LoD) of 2.9 ng ml^-1, limit of quantification (LoQ) of 9.66 ng ml^-1, and sensitivity of 0.585 kΩ ng^-1 ml cm^-2 were obtained. The sandwich immunoassay was carried out by capturing polyclonal anti-CRP antibody (pAb) onto the CRP antigen immunoreaction. The impedance signal after pAb capture also showed linear dependence with CRP antigen concentration and acted as a CRP antigen detection signal amplifier. The detection of the CRP antigen using sandwich pAb immunoassay improved LoD to 1.2 ng ml^-1, LoQ to 3.97 ng ml^-1, and enhanced the sensitivity to 0.885 kΩ ng^-1 ml cm^-2. The real sample analysis, using newborn calf serum, showed excellent selectivity and % recovery for the human CRP ranging from 91.2 to 96.5%. The method was reproducible to 4.5% for direct immunoassay and 2.3% for sandwich immunoassay.

Electrochemical sensing: A prognostic tool in the fight against COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the world, despite all efforts in infection control and treatment/vaccine development. Hospitals are currently overcrowded, with health statuses of patients often being hard to gauge. Therefore, methods for determining infection severity need to be developed so that high-risk patients can be prioritized, resources can be efficiently distributed, and fatalities can be prevented. Electrochemical prognostic biosensing of various biomarkers may hold promise in solving these problems as they are low-cost and provide timely results. Therefore, we have reviewed the literature and extracted the most promising biomarkers along with their most favourable electrochemical sensors. The biomarkers discussed in this paper are C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukins (ILs), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interferons (IFNs), glutamate, breath pH, lymphocytes, platelets, neutrophils and D-dimer. Metabolic syndrome is also discussed as comorbidity for COVID-19 patients, as it increases infection severity and raises chances of becoming infected. Cannabinoids, especially cannabidiol (CBD), are discussed as a potential adjunct therapy for COVID-19 as their medicinal properties may be desirable in minimizing the neurodegenerative or severe inflammatory damage caused by severe COVID-19 infection. Currently, hospitals are struggling to provide adequate care; thus, point-of-care electrochemical sensor development needs to be prioritized to provide an approximate prognosis for hospital patients. During and following the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, electrochemical sensors can also be integrated into wearable and portable devices to help patients monitor recovery while returning to their daily lives. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, these sensors will also prove useful for monitoring inflammation-based diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

On-the-fly rapid immunoassay for neonatal sepsis diagnosis: C-reactive protein accurate determination using magnetic graphene-based micromotors

Based on the exceptional and new opened biosensing possibilities of self-propelled micromotors, a micromotor-based immunoassay (MIm) has smartly been designed for C-reactive protein (CRP) determination in plasma of preterm infants with sepsis suspicion. The design of the micromotors involved the electrosynthesis of a carbon-based outer layer (for antibody functionalization), an intermediate Ni layer (for magnetic guidance and stopped flow operations) and PtNPs inner catalytic layer (for catalytic bubble propulsion). Micromotors biofunctionalization on the outer layer (using carbon black (CB), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and biocompatible propulsion capabilities, were carefully studied. Magnetic rGO/Ni/PtNPs micromotors exhibited the most efficient and reproducible (CV = 9%) anti-CRP functionalization, controlled stopped-flow operations as well as efficient bubble propulsion (1% H₂O₂, 1,5% NaCh, speed 140 μm s^-1). Analytical performance of MIm was excellent, allowing the direct (without dilution), sensitive (LOD = 0.80 μg/mL), and accurate CRP determination (E_r = 1%) in hardly available preterm babies' plasma samples with suspected sepsis using very low volumes (<10 μL) and in just 5 min of on-the-fly bioassay. Overall, the results obtained allowed the fast and reliable sepsis diagnostics in preterm babies' individuals with suspected sepsis, not only proving the usefulness of the approach as its potential utilization as point-of-care device for clinical analysis but drawing new horizons in extremely low sample volumes-based diagnostics.

Ethanol vs. water: influence of the terminal functional group of the alkyl chain and environment of the self-assembly process on electron transport through the thiol layer

Self-assembly of alkanethiol chains on metallic surfaces is a spontaneous process which leads to the formation of highly ordered layers. However, the organization of the thiol chains on the surface strongly depends on the intermolecular interactions between the terminal groups in the chain. The solution environment also plays an important role. In this paper we present the effect of solution solvent (water and ethanol) and the presence of various hydrophilic terminal groups (–OH, –NH₂ and –COOH) on the quality and electrochemical properties of the formed alkanethiol layers. In the studies we applied voltammetry, atomic force microscopy and quartz crystal microbalance to characterize the morphology, packing density and ability to electron exchange through the thiol layer. The blocking properties of the formed SAMs expressed as the electron-transfer rate constant as well as their organization have been examined using a model electrochemical probe, Fe(CN)₆³⁻. With the increase in the polarity of the terminal functional group the regularity of the thiol layer decreased.

The organization of the thiol chains on the surface strongly depends on the intermolecular interactions between the terminal groups in the chain and the solution environment.

Electrochemical detection of C-reactive protein using functionalized iridium nanoparticles/graphene oxide as a tag

C-reactive protein (CRP) has become a recognized indicator of inflammation. CRP concentration in serum is an important indicator for monitoring early heart damage, and it is also a newly discovered coronary heart disease-associated inflammatory factor. A conductive nano-hybrid material composed of Au NPs and ionic liquid functionalized molybdenum disulfide (Au NPs/IL-MoS₂) was prepared and utilized to immobilize primary CRP antibodies. Subsequently, 1,5-diaminonaphthalene (DN) was adsorbed onto graphene oxide (GO) through π–π stacking, which was used to load iridium nanoparticles (Ir NPs) as a tag to label secondary CRP antibodies. The large surface area of Au NPs/IL-MoS₂ and the excellent electrocatalytic properties of Ir NPs/GO-DN toward the reduction of H₂O₂ resulted in a highly sensitive assay for CRP antigens. This immunosensor exhibited wide linear ranges from 0.01 to 100 ng mL⁻¹ and a lower detection of limit of 3.3 pg mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). This CRP immunosensor can be applied in real serum sample analysis with satisfactory results, indicating that the immunosensor has potential applications in biomedical detection.

Ir NPs@GO-DN was used as a tag to label CRP antibody to construct a sandwich CRP immunosensor.

Docking of Polyethylenimines Derivatives on Cube Rhombellane Functionalized Homeomorphs

Nowadays, in the world of science, an important goal is to create new nanostructures that may act as potential drug carriers. Among different, real or hypothetical, polymeric networks, rhombellanes are very promising and, therefore, attempts were made to deposit polyethylenimines as possible nano-drug complexes on the cube rhombellane homeomorphs surface. For the search of ligand–fullerene interactions, was used AutoDockVina software. As a reference structure, the fullerene C60 was used. After the docking procedure, the ligands–fullerenes interactions were tested. The important factor determining the mutual affinity of the tested ligands and nanocarriers is the symmetry of the analyzed nanostructures. Here, this feature has the influence on the distribution of such groups like donors and acceptors of hydrogen bonds on the surface of nanoparticles. We calculated the best binding affinities of ligands, values of binding constants and differences relative to C60 molecules. The best binding efficiency was found for linear ligands. It was also found that the shorter the molecule, the better the binding performance, the more the particle grows and the lower the yield. Small structures of ligands react easily with small structures of nanoparticles. The highest positive percentage deviations were obtained for ligand–fullerene complexes showing the highest binding energy values. Detailed analysis of structural properties after docking showed that the values of affinity of the studied indolizine ligands to the rhombellanes surface are correlated with the strength/length of hydrogen bonds formed between them.

Efficient electron-mediated electrochemical biosensor of gold wire for the rapid detection of C-reactive protein: A predictive strategy for heart failure

C-reactive protein (CRP) is considered a promising biomarker for the rapid and high-throughput real-time monitoring of cardiovascular disease and inflammation in unprocessed clinical samples. Implementation of this monitoring would enable various transformative biomedical applications. We have fabricated a highly specific sensor chip to detect CRP with a detection limit of 2.25 fg/mL. The protein was immobilized on top of a gold (Au) wire/polycarbonate (PC) substrate using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino-propyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride/N-hydroxy succinimide-activated 3-mercaptoproponic acid (MPA) as a self-assembled monolayer agent and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a blocking agent. In contrast to the bare PC substrate, the CRP/BSA/anti-CRP/MPA/Au substrate exhibited a considerably high electrochemical signal toward CRP. The influence of the experimental parameters on CRP detection was assessed via various analysis methods, and these parameters were then optimized. The linear dynamic range of the CRP was 5-220 fg/mL for voltammetric and impedance analysis. Morever, the strategy exhibited high selectivity against various potential interfering species and was capable of directly probing trace amounts of the target CRP in human serum with excellent selectivity. The analytical assay based on the CRP/BSA/anti-CRP/MPA/Au substrate could be exploited as a potentially useful tool for detecting CRP in clinical samples.

Disk-based one-dimensional photonic crystal slabs for label-free immunosensing

One-dimensional photonic crystal slabs are periodic optical nanostructures that produce guided-mode resonance. They couple part of the incident light into the waveguide generating bandgaps in the transmittance spectrum, whose position is sensitive to refractive index variations on their surface. In this study, we present one-dimensional photonic crystal slab biosensors based on the internal nanogrooved structure of Blu-ray disks for label-free immunosensing. We demonstrated that this polycarbonate structure coated with a critical thickness of TiO₂ generates guided-mode resonance. Its optical behavior was established comparing it with other compact disk structures. The results were theoretically calculated and experimentally demonstrated, all them being in agreement. The bioanalytical performance of these photonic crystals was experimentally demonstrated in a model assay to quantify IgGs as well as in two immunoassays to determine the biomarkers C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase (detection limits of 0.1, 87, and 13 nM, respectively). The results are promising towards the development of new low-cost, portable, and label-free optical biosensors that join these photonic crystals with dedicated bioanalytical scanners based on compact disk drives.