Electrochemically deposited nanocomposite of chitosan and carbon nanotubes for detection of human chorionic gonadotrophin

An insight into the state of nanotechnology-based electrochemical biosensors for PCOS detection

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting many women of reproductive age all over the world. PCOS is associated with the onset of enduring health complications, notably diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, PCOS escalates the propensity for conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, which can potentially culminate in life-threatening scenarios. A pervasive predicament surrounding PCOS pertains to its underdiagnosis due to discrepancies in diagnostic criteria and the intricacy of available testing methodologies. Consequently, many women encounter substantial delays in diagnosis with traditional diagnostic approaches. Prompt identification is imperative, as any delay can precipitate severe consequences. The conventional techniques employed for PCOS detection typically suffer from suboptimal accuracy, protracted assay times, and inherent limitations, thereby constraining their widespread applicability and accessibility. In response to these challenges, various electrochemical methods leveraging nanotechnology have been documented. In this concise review, we endeavor to delineate the deficiencies associated with established conventional methodologies while accentuating the distinctive attributes and benefits inherent to contemporary biosensors. We place particular emphasis on elucidating the pivotal advancements and recent breakthroughs in the realm of nanotechnology-facilitated biosensors for the detection of PCOS.

Electrochemical biosensors for monitoring of selected pregnancy hormones during the first trimester: A systematic review

The hormones human chorionic gonadotropin, progesterone, estrogen and four of its metabolites (estradiol, estrone, estriol, estetrol), as well as relaxin play an essential role in the development of the fetus during the first trimester. Imbalances in these hormones during the first trimester have been directly linked to miscarriages. However, frequent monitoring of the hormones is limited by the current conventional centralized analytical tools that do not allow a rapid response time. Electrochemical sensing is considered an ideal tool to detect hormones owing to its advantages such as quick response, user-friendliness, low economic costs, and possibility of use in point-of-care settings. Electrochemical detection of pregnancy hormones is an emerging field that has been demonstrated primarily at research level. Thus, it is timely with a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of the reported detection techniques. This is the first extensive review focusing on the advances related to electrochemical detection of hormones linked to the first trimester of pregnancy. Additionally, this review offers insights into the main challenges that must be addressed imminently to ensure progress from research to clinical applications.

Ultrasensitive Detection of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Using Frequency Locked Microtoroid Optical Resonators

Clean sport competition is of significant concern to many governments and sporting organizations. Highly sensitive and rapid sensors are needed to improve the detection of performance enhancing drugs in sports as athletes take diuretics to dilute the concentration of drugs in their urine and microdose under the detectable limits of current sensors. Here we demonstrate, using frequency locked microtoroid optical resonators, a 3 orders of magnitude improvement in detection limit over the current gold standard, mass spectrometry, for the common performance enhancing drug, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). hCG, also known as the pregnancy hormone, was detected both in simulated urine and in the urine of pregnant donors at a concentration of 1 and 3 femtomolar, respectively. We anticipate that the sensitivity provided by frequency locked optical microcavities can enable a new standard in antidoping research.

Connecting Biology to Electronics: Molecular Communication via Redox Modality

Biology and electronics are both expert at for accessing, analyzing, and responding to information. Biology uses ions, small molecules, and macromolecules to receive, analyze, store, and transmit information, whereas electronic devices receive input in the form of electromagnetic radiation, process the information using electrons, and then transmit output as electromagnetic waves. Generating the capabilities to connect biology-electronic modalities offers exciting opportunities to shape the future of biosensors, point-of-care medicine, and wearable/implantable devices. Redox reactions offer unique opportunities for bio-device communication that spans the molecular modalities of biology and electrical modality of devices. Here, an approach to search for redox information through an interactive electrochemical probing that is analogous to sonar is adopted. The capabilities of this approach to access global chemical information as well as information of specific redox-active chemical entities are illustrated using recent examples. An example of the use of synthetic biology to recognize external molecular information, process this information through intracellular signal transduction pathways, and generate output responses that can be detected by electrical modalities is also provided. Finally, exciting results in the use of redox reactions to actuate biology are provided to illustrate that synthetic biology offers the potential to guide biological response through electrical cues.

Advances in human chorionic gonadotropin detection technologies: a review

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a glycoprotein secreted by placental trophoblast cells in pregnancy. HCG is a heterodimer composed of two different α- and β-subunits, with the latter being unique to HCG. As well as being the most important diagnostic markers for pregnancy, HCG is also a tumor marker, therefore, quantitative detection of HCG is of great value. Numerous advanced technologies have been developed for HCG concentration detection including electrochemical immunoassay, chemiluminescent immunoassay, fluorescence immunoassay, resonance scattering spectrometry, atomic emission spectrometry, radioimmunoassay, MS and so on. Some have pursued simple and easy operation, while others have emphasized on accuracy and applications in clinical medicine. This review provides a comprehensive summary of various methods of detecting HCG.

A Point-of-Care Immunosensor for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Clinical Urine Samples Using a Cuneated Polysilicon Nanogap Lab-on-Chip

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a glycoprotein hormone secreted from the placenta, is a key molecule that indicates pregnancy. Here, we have designed a cost-effective, label-free, in situ point-of-care (POC) immunosensor to estimate hCG using a cuneated 25 nm polysilicon nanogap electrode. A tiny chip with the dimensions of 20.5 × 12.5 mm was fabricated using conventional lithography and size expansion techniques. Furthermore, the sensing surface was functionalized by (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and quantitatively measured the variations in hCG levels from clinically obtained human urine samples. The dielectric properties of the present sensor are shown with a capacitance above 40 nF for samples from pregnant women; it was lower with samples from non-pregnant women. Furthermore, it has been proven that our sensor has a wide linear range of detection, as a sensitivity of 835.88 μA mIU^-1 ml^-2 cm^-2 was attained, and the detection limit was 0.28 mIU/ml (27.78 pg/ml). The dissociation constant K_d of the specific antigen binding to the anti-hCG was calculated as 2.23 ± 0.66 mIU, and the maximum number of binding sites per antigen was B_max = 22.54 ± 1.46 mIU. The sensing system shown here, with a narrow nanogap, is suitable for high-throughput POC diagnosis, and a single injection can obtain triplicate data or parallel analyses of different targets.

SERS quantitative detection of trace human chorionic gonadotropin using a label-free Victoria blue B as probe in the aggregated immunonanogold sol substrate

Nanogold particles (NG) were modified by anti-rabbit antibody (RAb) against human chorionic gonadotropin to obtain an immunonanogold probe (ING). In pH 7.0 Na2HPO4-citrate buffer solution containing KCl, ING probes formed large aggregates in which Victoria blue B (VBB) molecules were adsorbed on the surface and which exhibited strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) at a peak of 1612 cm(-1). After addition of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) an immune reaction with the ING probe occurred to form dispersive ING-hCG complexes with non-SERS activity that led to a decreased SERS peak at 1612 cm(-1). The decreased SERS intensity was linear to the concentration of hCG over 2.4-73.2 ng/mL. The ING reaction was studied in detail by SERS, scanning electron microscope (SEM), resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption and laser scattering techniques. SERS quenching was observed and discussed.

Affinity-based biosensors in sport medicine and doping control analysis

Affinity-based biosensors (ABBs) have started to be considered in sport medicine and doping control analysis because they are cheap, easy to use and sufficiently selective analytical devices, characterized by a reversible interaction with the analyte under investigation allowing the use of the same sensor for multiple analyses. In this review we describe the main categories of substances reported in the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List and how ABBs may contribute to their detection. Although several ABBs proposed in the last few years display limit of detections that are in principle matching the World Anti-Doping Agency requirements, their application in the framework of 'traditional' antidoping tests seems quite unlikely, mainly because of the still insufficient selectivity especially in the case of 'pseudo-endogenous' compounds, and on the lack of complete information regarding potential matrix effects in real samples and following their routine use. At the same time, ABBs could contribute to fill a significant information gap concerning complementary evidence that can be obtained from their use 'on the spot', as well as to preselect a risk population of individuals to be targeted for a full antidoping test; while in sport medicine they could contribute to obtaining analytical information of physiological relevance from the measurement of specific parameters or markers before, during and after physical exercise.

A novel electrochemical DNA biosensor based on HRP-mimicking hemin/G-quadruplex wrapped GOx nanocomposites as tag for detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7

A novel sensitive electrochemical DNA biosensor was developed for amperometric detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7). The graphene oxide (GOx) was utilized as nanocarrier to immobilize thionine (Thi) and the Au nanoparticles coated SiO2 nanocomposites (Au-SiO2) by electrostatic adsorption and the adsorption among nanomaterials. Then a large amounts of signal DNA (S2) and G-quadruplex were immobilized on the GOx-Thi-Au@SiO2 nanocomposites. Finally, hemin was intercalated into the G-quadruplex to obtain the hemin/G-quadruplex structure as HRP-mimicking DNAzyme. On the basis of the signal amplification strategy of GOx-Thi-Au@SiO2 nanocomposites and DNAzyme, the developed DNA biosensor could respond to 0.01 nM (S/N=3) with a linear calibration range from 0.02 to 50.0 nM E. coli O157:H7, which could be well accepted for early clinical detection. The studied system provides new opportunities, and might speed up disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention with pathogen.

Targeting ribonucleic acids by toxic small molecules: structural perturbation and energetics of interaction of phenothiazinium dyes thionine and toluidine blue O to tRNA phe

This study was designed to examine the toxic interaction of two phenothiazinium dyes thionine (TO) and toluidine blue O (TBO) with tRNA(phe) by spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques. While phenothiazinium dye complexation with DNA is known, their bindings to RNA are not fully investigated. The non cooperative binding of both the dyes to tRNA was revealed from absorbance and fluorescence studies. From absorption, steady-state emission, the effect of ferrocyanide ion-induced steady-state fluorescence quenching, circular dichroism, the mode of binding of these dyes into the tRNA helix has been substantiated to be principally by intercalative in nature. Both dyes enhanced the thermal stability of tRNA. Circular dichroism studies provided evidence for the structural perturbations associated with the tRNA structure with induction of optical activity in the CD inactive dye molecules. Results from isothermal titration calorimetry experiments suggested that the binding of both dyes was predominantly entropy driven with a smaller but favorable enthalpy term that increased with temperature. The binding was dependent on the Na(+) concentration, but had a larger non-electrostatic contribution to the Gibbs energy. A small heat capacity value and the enthalpy-entropy compensation in the energetics of the interaction characterized the binding of the dyes to tRNA. This study confirms that the tRNA(phe) binding affinity is greater for TO compared to TBO. The utility of the present work lies in understanding the potential binding and consequent damage to tRNA by these toxic dyes in their development as therapeutic agents.

An electrochemical immunosensor for sensitive detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 using C60 based biocompatible platform and enzyme functionalized Pt nanochains tracing tag

A sensitive and efficient electrochemical immunosensor was designed for amperometric detection of heat-killed Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7). The immunosensing platform was first composed of fullerene (C60), ferrocene (Fc) and thiolated chitosan (CHI-SH) composite nano-layer which could offer rich -SH functional groups and maintain good biocompatibility. Then the Au nanoparticles coated SiO2 nanocomposites (Au-SiO2) were assembled on the CHI-SH/Fc/C60 composite. Next, the large amount of avidin (SA) was coated on the Au-SiO2 surface, which was used to immobilize biotinylated capture antibodies of E. coli O157:H7 (bio-Ab1) through the covalent reaction between biotin and avidin. With surface area enhancement by C60 and Au-SiO2, and directional immobilization by avidin-biotin system, the amount of immobilized bio-Ab1 can be enhanced obviously. For signal amplification, the glucose oxidase (GOD) loaded Pt nanochains (PtNCs) were used as tracing tag to label signal antibodies (Ab2). With a sandwich-type immunoreaction, the concentration volume of heat-killed E. coli O157:H7 ranged from 3.2 × 10(1) to 3.2 × 10(6)CFU/mL with a limit of detection down to 15 CFU/mL (S/N=3), which could be well accepted for early clinical detection. The studied system provides new opportunities, and might speed up disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention with pathogen.

An amperometric immunosensor based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes-thionine-chitosan nanocomposite film for chlorpyrifos detection

In this work, a novel amperometric immunosensor based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes-thionine-chitosan (MWCNTs-THI-CHIT) nanocomposite film as electrode modified material was developed for the detection of chlorpyrifos residues. The nanocomposite film was dropped onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE), and then the anti-chlorpyrifos monoclonal antibody was covalently immobilized onto the surface of MWCNTs-THI-CHIT/GCE using the crosslinking agent glutaraldehyde (GA). The modification procedure was characterized by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Under the optimized conditions, a linear relationship between the relative change in peak current of different pulse voltammetry (DPV) and the logarithm of chlorpyrifos solution concentration was obtained in the range from 0.1 to 1.0 × 10⁵ ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.046 ng/mL. The proposed chlorpyrifos immunosensor exhibited high reproducibility, stability, and good selectivity and regeneration, making it a potential alternative tool for ultrasensitive detection of chlorpyrifos residues in vegetables and fruits.

Synthesis, characterization and stability of chitosan and poly(methyl methacrylate) grafted carbon nanotubes

The single walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were effectively functionalized through grafting with chitosan (CTS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Prior to grafting reaction, the carboxylated SWNCTs (SWNCTs-COOH) were obtained by treating pristine CNTs with a mixture of 3:1 (v/v) H(2)SO(4) and HNO(3), and the successive treatment of SWNCTs-COOH with SOCl(2) yielded the acylated CNTs (CNTs-COCl). The functionalized derivatives of CNTs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Both CTS and PMMA grafted CNTs showed better dispersability in acetic acid and tetrahydrofuran, in addition to higher stability in solution.

Thionine interaction to DNA: comparative spectroscopic studies on double stranded versus single stranded DNA

Interaction of thionine with double stranded and single stranded calf thymus DNA has been studied by absorbance, fluorescence, competition dialysis, circular dichroism and isothermal titration calorimetry. Binding to the native double stranded DNA conformation induced strong quenching in fluorescence spectrum of thionine. Linear Scatchard plots indicated the binding to be of one type and the affinity values evaluated to be of the order of 10(5) M(-1) with double stranded DNA. Fluorescence quenching was much weaker with single stranded DNA and the binding affinity was about one order lower. Ferrocyanide quenching studies revealed that the fluorescence emission of dye molecules bound to the double stranded DNA was quenched much less compared to those bound to the single stranded DNA. Furthermore, there was significant emission polarization for the bound dye molecules and strong energy transfer from the DNA base pairs to the dye molecules indicating intercalative binding to ds DNA. Salt dependence of the binding phenomenon revealed that electrostatic forces played a significant role in the binding process. The intercalation of the dye molecules to double stranded DNA and simple stacking to single strands was proved from these fluorescence techniques. Support to the fluorescence results have been derived from absorption, circular dichroic and dialysis results. Calorimetric studies suggested that the binding to ds DNA conformation was both enthalpy and entropy favoured while that to ss DNA was predominantly entropy favoured.

Chitosan-Based Macromolecular Biomaterials for the Regeneration of Chondroskeletal and Nerve Tissue

The use of materials, containing the biocompatible and bioresorbable biopolymer poly(1→4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-β-D-glucan, containing some N-acetyl-glucosamine units (chitosan, CHI) and/or its derivatives, to fabricate devices for the regeneration of bone, cartilage and nerve tissue, was reviewed. The CHI-containing devices, to be used for bone and cartilage regeneration and healing, were tested mainly for in vitro cell adhesion and proliferation and for insertion into animals; only the use of CHI in dental surgery has reached the clinical application. Regarding the nerve tissue, only a surgical repair of a 35 mm-long nerve defect in the median nerve of the right arm at elbow level with an artificial nerve graft, comprising an outer microporous conduit of CHI and internal oriented filaments of poly(glycolic acid), was reported. As a consequence, although many positive results have been obtained, much work must still be made, especially for the passage from the experimentation of the CHI-based devices, in vitro and in animals, to their clinical application.