An ultra-sensitive electrochemical biosensor for the detection of procalcitonin in sepsis patients’ serum, using a Cu-BHT-based thin film

Abstract

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a polypeptide produced by the parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland and serves as a vital marker for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis and other infectious diseases, as well as multiple organ failure, due to its high expression levels in affected patients. This article reports on a highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor based on MOF composite materials, based on Cu-BHT, for detecting PCT levels. The surface of the glassy carbon electrode may have better charge transfer resistance owing to the nano-composite material made of Cu-BHT, chitosan, and AuNPs. At the same time, the anti-PCT antibody may also be covalently bonded to the composite material and measure PCT concentration using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results of the investigation demonstrate that the sensor's response has excellent linear conjunction with the logarithm of PCT concentration under optimum circumstances. The detection limit (LOD) is 14.579 × 10−9 μg/mL, and the linear range of detection is 10−7 μg/mL to 10−1 μg/mL. Simultaneously, we successfully applied this method to detect serum PCT before and after treatment in different sepsis patients and compared it with chemiluminescence immunoassay. The findings indicate that the proposed method holds promising potential for timely diagnosis and treatment of sepsis patients.