Abstract
Early diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is essential to prevent disease from spreading and progression. Herein, a novel electrochemical biosensor was developed for ultrasensitive detection of HCV core antigen (HCVcAg) based on terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) amplification and DNA nanowires (DNW). After sandwich-type antibody-antigen recognition, the antibody-conjugated DNA was pulled to the electrode surface and further extended into a long DNA sequence by robust TdT reaction. Then, large numbers of methylene blue–loaded DNW (MB@DNW) as signal labels are linked to the extended DNA sequence. This results in an amplified electrochemical signal for HCVcAg determination, typically measured at around −0.25 V (Ag/AgCl). Under the optimum conditions, the proposed biosensor achieved a wide linear range for HCVcAg from 0.1 to 312.5 pg/mL with a low limit of detection of 32 fg/mL. The good practicality of the biosensor was demonstrated by recovery experiment (recoveries from 98 to 104% with RSD of 2.5–4.4%) and comparison with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Given the highlighted performance, the biosensor is expected to act as a reliable sensing tool for HCVcAg determination in clinics.
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Funding
This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (cstc2020jcyj-msxmX0764), the Combined Medical Funding of Chongqing Health Commission & Science and Technology Bureau (2020FYYX060), and the Xinglin Scholar Research Premotion Project of Chengdu University of TCM (YYZX2019067).
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Wang, Y., Li, L., Dong, Z. et al. Ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of hepatitis C virus core antigen using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase amplification coupled with DNA nanowires. Microchim Acta 188, 285 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-021-04939-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-021-04939-2