In situ formation of boronic acid-based covalent organic frameworks for specific and ultra-sensitive electrochemical assay of glycosylated amyloid-beta proteins

• Published in: Talanta (Oxford) 2025-04, Vol.285, p.127435, Article 127435
• Main Authors: Lv, Yubing, Zhou, Yanli, Li, Chunlan, Lv, Chaoran, Dong, Hui, Xu, Maotian, Zhang, Jing, Yan, Mei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boronic acid-based COF; Copper nanoparticles; Electrochemical sensor; Glycosylated amyloid-beta peptides
• ISSN: 0039-9140; 1873-3573; 1873-3573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.127435

Alzheimer's disease (AD) significantly impacts the well-being of older people around the world. However, the accurate detection of glycosylated amyloid-beta (Aβ) proteins, which serve as important biomarkers for AD, remains challenging due to their extremely low levels. To address these issues, we proposed a method for fabricating a flexible and stable sensor platform based on an innovative boronic acid-based covalent organic framework COF–B(OH)2. After in situ formation on carbon cloth (CC) by facile interfacial perturbation, this CC-based COF substrate could further serve as an electrochemical platform for detecting glycosylated-Aβ16 via molecular interactions. The substrate offers abundant molecular recognition sites, a large specific surface area, and excellent electrical conductivity. Furthermore, poly(thymine)-templated copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) linked to the aptamer of glycosylated-Aβ16 were employed as electrochemical probes, providing an amplified signal. The proposed assay for the detection of glycosylated-Aβ16 proteins demonstrated a wide detection range of 5–1800 pg/mL, with an ultralow detection limit of 0.32 pg/mL and high stability. This research offers novel insights into the developing electrochemical biosensors for analyzing glycosylated protein, leveraging advanced COF–B(OH)2 materials. •Glycosylated amyloid-beta protein was accurately detected by electrochemical sensor.•In situ formed boronic acid-based COF on carbon cloth provided high specificity.•Poly(thymine)-templated copper nanoparticles offered an amplified signal.•This biosensing platform was also flexible and stable for practical applicability.