The antibody assisted detection of HER2 on a cobalt porphyrin binuclear framework and gold functionalized graphene quantum dots modified electrode

Electrochemistry as a Powerful Tool for Investigations of Antineoplastic Agents: A Comprehensive Review

Cancer is most frequently treated with antineoplastic agents (ANAs) that are hazardous to patients undergoing chemotherapy and the healthcare workers who handle ANAs in the course of their duties. All aspects related to hazardous oncological drugs illustrate that the monitoring of ANAs is essential to minimize the risks associated with these drugs. Among all analytical techniques used to test ANAs, electrochemistry holds an important position. This review, for the first time, comprehensively describes the progress done in electrochemistry of ANAs by means of a variety of bare or modified (bio)sensors over the last four decades (in the period of 1982-2021). Attention is paid not only to the development of electrochemical sensing protocols of ANAs in various biological, environmental, and pharmaceutical matrices but also to achievements of electrochemical techniques in the examination of the interactions of ANAs with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), carcinogenic cells, biomimetic membranes, peptides, and enzymes. Other aspects, including the enantiopurity studies, differentiation between single-stranded and double-stranded DNA without using any label or tag, studies on ANAs degradation, and their pharmacokinetics, by means of electrochemical techniques are also commented. Finally, concluding remarks that underline the existence of a significant niche for the basic electrochemical research that should be filled in the future are presented.

A new insight into the early detection of HER2 protein in breast cancer patients with a focus on electrochemical biosensors approaches: A review

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women and is a prevalent kind of cancerous growth, representing a substantial risk to women's health. Early detection of breast cancer is essential for effective treatment and improved survival rates. Biomarkers, active substances that signal the existence and advancement of a tumor, play a significant role in the early detection of breast cancer. Hence, accurate identification of biomarkers for tumors is crucial for diagnosing and treating breast cancer. However, the primary diagnostic methods used for the detection of breast cancer require specific equipment, skilled professionals, and specialized analysis, leading to elevated detection expenses. Regarding this obstacle, recent studies emphasize electrochemical biosensors as more advanced and sensitive detection tools compared to traditional methods. Electrochemical biosensors are employed to identify biomarkers that act as unique indicators for the onset, recurrence, and monitoring of therapeutic interventions for breast cancer. This study aims to provide a summary of the electrochemical biosensors that have been employed for the detection of breast cancer at an early stage over the past decade. Initially, the text provides concise information about breast cancer and tumor biomarkers. Subsequently, an in-depth analysis is conducted to systematically review the progress of electrochemical biosensors developed for the stable, specific, and sensitive identification of biomarkers associated with breast cancer. Particular emphasis was given to crucial clinical biomarkers, specifically the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2). The analysis then explores the limitations and challenges inherent in the design of effective biosensors for diagnosing and treating breast cancer. Ultimately, we provided an overview of future research directions and concluded by outlining the advantages of electrochemical biosensor approaches.

Employing Pd nanoparticles decorated on halloysite nanotube/carbon composite for electrochemical aptasensing of HER2 in breast cancer patients

An effective biosensing platform is described based on halloysite nanotube/carbon composite decorated with Pd nanoparticles (HNT/C@Pd NPs). A novel electrochemical aptasensor was designed using the proposed nano-platform to determine human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), a breast cancer biomarker. Inherently, aptasensing interfaces provide high sensitivity and selectivity for tumor markers owing to the high specific surface area of HNT/C and good conductivity stems from deposition of Pd NPs into HNT/C composite. With a correlation coefficient of 0.996, the electrochemical aptasensor demonstrated a wide linear range from 0.03 ng/mL to 9 ng/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) of the established assay was 8 pg/mL based on S/N = 3 method. Further, the designed biosensor demonstrated acceptable selectivity, good reproducibility, and high stability. The applicability of the impedimetric sensor in human serum samples was also examined and compared to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay (p-value >0.05). Based on the results, it was found that the proposed methodology can be used in quantification of breast cancer markers for early diagnosis and treatment.

Graphene quantum dots: synthesis, properties, and applications to the development of optical and electrochemical sensors for chemical sensing

GQDs exhibits exceptional electrochemical activity owing to their active edge sites that make them very attractive for biosensing applications. However, their use in the design of new biosensing devices for application to the detection and quantification of toxins, pathogens, and clinical biomarkers has so far not investigated in detail. In this regard, herein we provide a detailed review on various methodologies employed for the synthesis of GQDs, including bottom-up and top-down approaches, with a special focus on their applications in biosensing via fluorescence, photoluminescence, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and electrochemical techniques. We believe that this review will shed light on the critical issues and widen the applications of GQDs for the design of biosensors with improved analytical response for future applications. HIGHLIGHTS: • Properties of GQDs play a critical role in biosensing applications. • Synthesis of GQDs using top-down and bottom-up approaches is discussed comprehensively. • Overview of advancements in GQD-based sensors over the last decade. • Methods for the design of selective and sensitive GQD-based sensors. • Challenges and opportunities for future GQD-based sensors.

A high-performance electrochemical aptasensor based on graphene-decorated rhodium nanoparticles to detect HER2-ECD oncomarker in liquid biopsy

Evaluation of extracellular domain of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2-ECD) oncomarker status is an impressive factor in screening, diagnosing and monitoring early-stage breast cancer (BC). Electrochemical aptamer-based nanobiosensor with high sensitivity and selectivity for quantitative and qualitative measurement of HER2-ECD oncomarker was developed. In this study, the nanocomposite made by distinct materials included reduced graphene oxide nano-sheets (rGONs) and rhodium nanoparticles (Rh-NPs) on the graphite electrode (GE) surface. This structure resulted in amplified electrochemical activity, high surface area, stability, and bio-compatibility. Each of the steps of preparing nanomaterials and setting up biosensor were carefully examined by analytical and electrochemical techniques. Various modified electrodes were constructed and analyzed in terms of electrochemical performance, morphology, size, and shape of nanomaterials. The GE-based aptasensor had a noteworthy and conducive results against HER2-ECD with a wide dynamic range of 10.0-500.0 ng/mL, a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.667 ng/mL (significantly less than the clinical cut-off), and a low limit of quantification (LOQ) of 2.01 ng/mL. The benefits provided by this aptasensor such as broad dynamic range, high sensitivity, selectivity, stability, reproducibility, and low cost suggest tremendous potential for non-invasive detection and monitoring of the HER2-ECD levels of BC care and clinical diagnosis.