Sensitive electrochemical aptamer cytosensor for highly specific detection of cancer cells based on the hybrid nanoelectrocatalysts and enzyme for signal amplification

Abstract Human cancer is becoming a leading cause of death in the world and the development of a straightforward strategy for early detection of cancer is urgently required. Herein, a sandwich-type electrochemical aptamer cytosensor was developed for detection of human liver hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) based on the hybrid nanoelectrocatalysts and enzyme for signal amplification. The thiolated TLS11a aptamers were used as a selective bio-recognition element, attached to the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface. Meanwhile, the electrochemical nanoprobes were fabricated through the G-quadruplex/hemin/aptamer complexes and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilized on the surfaces of Au@Pd core–shell nanoparticle-modified magnetic Fe 3 O 4 /MnO 2 beads (Fe 3 O 4 /MnO 2 /Au@Pd). After the target cells were captured, the hybrid nanoprobes were further assembled to form an aptamer-cell-nanoprobes sandwich-like system on the electrode surface. Then, hybrid Fe 3 O 4 /MnO 2 /Au@Pd nanoelectrocatalysts, G-quadruplex/hemin HRP-mimicking DNAzymes and the natural HRP enzyme efficiently catalyzed the oxidation of hydroquinone (HQ) with H 2 O 2 , amplifying the electrochemical signals and improving the detection sensitivity. This electrochemical cytosensor delivered a wide detection range of 1×10 2 –1×10 7  cells mL −1 , high sensitivity with a low detection limit of 15 cells mL −1 , good selectivity and repeatability. Finally, an electrochemical reductive desorption method was performed to break gold–thiol bond and desorb the components on the AuNPs/GCE for regenerating the cytosensor. These results have demonstrated that the electrochemical cytosensor has the potential to be a feasible tool for cost-effective cancer cell detection in early cancer diagnosis.