A novel,
effective, and label-free electrochemical sensor was constructed
for investigating the interactions between cancer cells and molecules,
based on targeted cancer cells immobilized on a bilayer architecture
of N-doped graphene–Pt nanoparticles–chitosan (NGR–Pt–CS)
and polyaniline (PANI). The interactions between folic acid (FA, positive
control) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, negative control) and the choice
of targeted cells, HepG2 and A549 cells, were investigated by measuring
the current change of the sensor to [Fe(CN)6]3–/4– before and after interactions, and the binding constants were calculated
to be 1.37 × 105 and 1.92 × 105 M–1 by sensing kinetics. Furthermore, 18 main components
from Aidi injection (ADI) were studied to screen compounds that have
interactions with different targeted cancer cells including HepG2
and A549 cells. The potential target groups of the interactions between
screened active compounds and targeted cancer cells were analyzed
through computer-aided molecular docking. In this sensing system,
molecules did not require electrochemical activity, and different
targeted cancer cells could be immobilized on the modified electrode
surface, truly reflecting the categories and numbers of targets. Additionally,
the proposed sensor specifically circumvented the current paradigm
in most cells-based electrochemical sensors for screening drugs, in
which the changes in cell behavior induced by drugs are monitored.
This study provided a novel, simple, and generally applicable method
for exploring the interaction of molecules with cancer cells and screening
multitarget drugs.