Antifouling zwitterionic peptide hydrogel based electrochemical biosensor for reliable detection of prostate specific antigen in human serum

• Published in: Analytica chimica acta 2023-01, Vol.1239, p.340674-340674, Article 340674
• Main Authors: Du, Qiushu, Wang, Wenqi, Zeng, Xianghua, Luo, Xiliang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antifouling; Biofouling - prevention & control; Biosensing Techniques - methods; Electrochemical biosensor; Electrochemical Techniques - methods; Gold - chemistry; Human serum; Humans; Hydrogels - chemistry; Male; Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry; Peptides - chemistry; Prostate Specific Antigen; Zwitterionic peptide hydrogel
• ISSN: 0003-2670; 1873-4324
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.340674

An electrochemical biosensor based on the antifouling zwitterionic peptide hydrogel (CFEFKFC) and the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was fabricated to accurately detect prostate specific antigen (PSA) in complex human serum. The electrode was modified with the conducting polymer PEDOT and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in sequence through electrodeposition, and then the designed zwitterionic peptide hydrogel prepared through self-assembly was immobilized onto the modified electrode surface via the Au–S bond. The zwitterionic peptide hydrogel with cysteine terminal is easy for immobilization onto the gold surface, and it is also suitable for the immobilization of biomolecules such as PSA antibody in this work, through the formation of covalent amide bonds. The peptide hydrogel possessed excellent antifouling property, and it was able to effectively prevent the adsorption of nonspecific proteins, cells and other biomolecules. The developed antifouling biosensor showed a linear response range from 0.1 ng mL−1 to 100 ng mL−1, with a low limit of detection down to 5.6 pg mL−1. These results encourage the wide use of zwitterionic peptide hydrogels as antifouling materials in various sensing and bio-sensing devices. An antifouling electrochemical biosensor based on designed zwitterionic peptide hydrogel was constructed for the detection of cancer biomarker PSA in real complex serum sample. [Display omitted] •The designed zwitterionic peptide hydrogel exhibited good antifouling property.•The peptide hydrogel containing functional groups was suitable for biosensor construction.•The peptide hydrogel based electrochemical biosensor was capable of detecting PSA in real samples.