An ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical assay for tumor necrosis factor-alpha based on hollow CdS cubes as a signal generator and NiCo2O4-Au as a signal extinguisher (original) (raw)

* Corresponding authors

a Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Tropical Island Resources, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Ecological Civilization, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, P. R. China
E-mail: fuyamin@hainanu.edu.cn, panqinhe@163.com

b School of Science, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, P. R. China

c Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiamen Huli Guoyu Clinic, Co., Ltd, Xiamen 361000, China
E-mail: xiamenhaijin@163.com

Abstract

Sensitive detection of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in human serum is beneficial for finding cancer patients early due to overexpressed TNF-α being related to some cancers. Here, a photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor was constructed for ultrasensitive TNF-α assay based on the signal generator of hollow CdS cubes (H-CdS) and the signal extinguishing activity of NiCo2O4-Au. In this work, compared with traditional solid CdS, H-CdS could greatly promote the PEC signal because its hollow structure could accelerate the separation of photogenerated charges, which also possesses abundant active sites and high light absorption capability. Moreover, H-CdS can be prepared facilely with Cd-based Prussian blue analogs as the precursor. Meanwhile, NiCo2O4-Au was fabricated and utilized as a signal extinguisher. In the presence of TNF-α, NiCo2O4-Au could be introduced onto the H-CdS modified electrode, producing competitive consumption of the electron donor effect, the p-n semiconductor quenching effect, and the mimetic enzymatic catalytic precipitation effect, which all can significantly reduce the PEC signal. Based on the signal extinguishing activity of NiCo2O4-Au and the signal generator of H-CdS, TNF-α can be detected sensitively with a lower detection limit (0.63 fg mL−1) and a wide linear range (1 fg mL−1– to 1 ng mL−1), which may have a potential application in the PEC bioanalysis field and the disease diagnostics field.

Graphical abstract: An ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical assay for tumor necrosis factor-alpha based on hollow CdS cubes as a signal generator and NiCo2O4-Au as a signal extinguisher

This article is part of the themed collection:Analyst HOT Articles 2023

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Article information

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1039/D3AN01225E

Article type

Paper

Submitted

18 Jul 2023

Accepted

10 Aug 2023

First published

11 Aug 2023

Download Citation

Analyst, 2023,148, 4746-4752

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