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

Abstract

Assessment 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.

Monometallic and alloy nanoparticles: a review of biomedical applications

“…Rh. Conventionally, rhodium has been used as a catalyst; however, recently, its potential application in biosensing 58 and PTT for oncological diseases 55 has garnered significant attention. Importantly, unless NIR-irradiated, Rh-NPs are almost harmless to cell cultures; 55 hence, many studies have focused on the effectiveness of rhodium in PTT.…”

Influence of BSA Protein on Electrochemical Response of Genosensors

“…T HE development of electrochemical biosensors has attracted considerable research efforts in the last years since they offer the possibility to solve the analytical requirements by using simple and highly sensitive devices [1], [2], [3], especially for clinical diagnostics [4], [5], [6] and agrifood quality analysis [7], [8]. Genosensors have a broad range of potential applications, providing simple, rapid, and economical assays for DNA diagnostics, gene analysis, and fast detection of pathogens [9].…”

Vertical Graphene-Based Biosensor for Tumor Cell Dielectric Signature Evaluation

“…Electrochemical impedance represents a particularly useful, sensitive, label-free method for sensitive and specific tumor cell detection [ 15 , 16 ]. Recently, electrochemical biosensors modified with graphene for signal amplification in electrochemical detection methods have been reported for the detection of tumor cells by using cell-targeting biomolecules (antibody [ 17 , 18 ], peptide [ 19 , 20 , 21 ], DNA aptamer [ 22 , 23 , 24 ], SARS-CoV-2 [ 25 , 26 ]) on the surfaces of conductive electrodes.…”