A highly sensitive nanobiosensor based on aptamer-conjugated graphene-decorated rhodium nanoparticles for detection of HER2-positive circulating tumor cells

Mahdi Sadeghi,Esfandyar Askari,Fateme Haghiralsadat,Davood Tofighi,Soheila Kashanian,Seyed Morteza Naghib

doi:10.1515/ntrev-2022-0047

Abstract

AbstractAssessment of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) tumor marker status is an impressive factor in screening, diagnosing and monitoring breast cancer (BC). The electrochemical biosensor is a revolutionary method in cancer diagnosis, which is used in this research to detect HER2+circulating tumor cells. The electrochemical activity, size, shape, and morphology of the synthesized nanomaterials were analyzed. The hybrid nanocomposite established by the coupling of reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGONs) and rhodium nanoparticles (Rh-NPs) on the surface of graphite electrode resulted in improved surface area, electrochemical activity, and biocompatibility. The graphite electrode-based aptasensor (g-aptasensor) demonstrated exceptional performance against HER2-overexpressed SKBR3 cancer cells, with a linear dynamic range of 5.0 to 10.0 × 104 cells/mL, an analytical limit of detection (LOD) as low as 1.0 cell/mL, and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 3.0 cells/mL. The G-rich DNA aptamers can fold into an intermolecular G-quadruplex, which specifically bind to the target molecule. Consequently, the advantages of this highly efficient nanocomposite platform include broad dynamic range, high specificity, selectivity, stability, reproducibility, and low cost. These characteristics indicate that the fabricated nanobiosensor has a high potential for use in detecting and monitoring HER2 level for the care of BC patients and clinical diagnosis.

Highlights

Cancer is an intricate morbidity that causes drastic changes in the levels of genes, proteins, and metabolites [1,2]
We developed a hybrid nanocomposite platform and used an advanced and efficient procedure to modify graphite electrode by the in situ eco-friendly electrochemical synthesis of reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGONs)
Apt/Mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)/rhodium nanoparticles (Rh-NPs)/ rGONs/graphite electrode was immersed in bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution with the concentration of 5% at the temperature of 37°C under 5% CO2 atmosphere and humidity with 95% for 5 min to block the activated carboxyl functional groups on the surface of the modified electrode that are not bonded with the amino functional groups of anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) aptamer

Summary

Introduction

Cancer is an intricate morbidity that causes drastic changes in the levels of genes, proteins, and metabolites [1,2]. Lung, and prostate cancers are the most common cancers worldwide with a prevalence of 2.26, 2.21, and 1.41 million cases, respectively [3]. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. The techniques of gene amplification and protein overexpression such as in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are practiced to diagnose BC [8]. Most of these methods and techniques face many limitations such as high cost, complexity, and a significant reduction in sensitivity and specificity [9]. Electrochemical biosensors are one of the best analytical and diagnostic methods due to their unique features such as noninvasiveness, fast response, selectivity, specificity, sensitivity, ease of minimization, and cost-effectiveness [10,11,12]

Methods

Results

Conclusion