Biomedical Probes Based on Inorganic Nanoparticles for Electrochemical and Optical Spectroscopy Applications

Abstract

Inorganic nanoparticles usually provide novel and unique physical properties as their size approaches nanometer scale dimensions. The unique physical and optical properties of nanoparticles may lead to applications in a variety of areas, including biomedical detection. Therefore, current research is now increasingly focused on the use of the high surface-to-volume ratios of nanoparticles to fabricate superb chemical- or biosensors for various detection applications. This article highlights various kinds of inorganic nanoparticles, including metal nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and semiconductor nanoparticles that can be perceived as useful materials for biomedical probes and points to the outstanding results arising from their use in such probes. The progress in the use of inorganic nanoparticle-based electrochemical, colorimetric and spectrophotometric detection in recent applications, especially bioanalysis, and the main functions of inorganic nanoparticles in detection are reviewed. The article begins with a conceptual discussion of nanoparticles according to types, followed by numerous applications to analytes including biomolecules, disease markers, and pharmaceutical substances. Most of the references cited herein, dating from 2010 to 2015, generally mention one or more of the following characteristics: a low detection limit, good signal amplification and simultaneous detection capabilities.

Keywords: bioanalysis; biomedical probes; biosensors; colorimetry; electrochemical detection; inorganic nanoparticles; spectrophotometric detection.

Figure 1

Schematic representation of (A) the operation of the electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of ENO1 [37]. Reprinted with permission from (Ho, J.A.A.; Chang, H.C.; Shih, N.Y.; Wu, L.C.; Chang, Y.F.; Chen, C.C.; Chou, C. Diagnostic detection of human lung cancer-associated antigen using a gold nanoparticle-based electrochemical immunosensor. Anal. Chem. 2010, 82, 5944–5950.). Copyright (2010) American Chemical Society.; (B) preparation of immunosensor array and detection strategy by sandwich-type immunoassay and linear sweep voltammetric stripping analysis of enzymatically deposited AgNPs [38]. Reprinted (adapted) with permission from (Lai, G.; Yan, F.; Wu, J.; Leng, C.; Ju, H. Ultrasensitive multiplexed immunoassay with electrochemical stripping analysis of silver nanoparticles catalytically deposited by gold nanoparticles and enzymatic reaction. Anal. Chem. 2011, 83, 2726–2732.). Copyright (2011) American Chemical Society; and (C) the immunosensor fabrication and sandwich-type immunoassay procedure [39]. Reprinted (adapted) with permission from (Lin, D.; Wu, J.; Wang, M.; Yan, F.; Ju, H., Triple signal amplification of graphene film, polybead carried gold nanoparticles as tracing tag and silver deposition for ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensing. Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 3662–3668.). Copyright (2012) American Chemical Society.

Figure 2

Procedures for the Fabrication of Aptamer-DNA Concatamer-QDs (A) MWCNTs@PDA@AuNPs Composites; (B) and Supersandwich Cytosensor; (C) [60]. Reprinted with permission from (Liu, H.; Xu, S.; He, Z.; Deng, A.; Zhu, J.J. Supersandwich cytosensor for selective and ultrasensitive detection of cancer cells using aptamer-DNA concatamer-quantum dots probes. Anal. Chem. 2013, 85, 3385–3392.). Copyright (2013) American Chemical Society.

Figure 3

Schematic Presentation of the Multicolored QDs-Ab and GO Based EV71 and CVB3 Determination Biosensor and photovisualization of semiquatitative simultaneous determination of EV71 and CVB3 [105]. Reprinted with permission from (Chen, L.; Zhang, X.; Zhou, G.; Xiang, X.; Ji, X.; Zheng, Z.; He, Z.; Wang, H. Simultaneous determination of human enterovirus 71 and coxsackievirus b3 by dual-color quantum dots and homogeneous immunoassay. Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 3200–3207.). Copyright (2012) American Chemical Society.

Figure 4

Schematic representation of the experimental details of the P. falciparum antigen (HRP2) related to malaria disease in human serum for the electrochemical magneto immunosensor [148]. Adapted with permission from (de Souza Castilho, M.; Laube, T.; Yamanaka, H.; Alegret, S.; Pividori, M.I. Magneto immunoassays for plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 related to malaria based on magnetic nanoparticles. Anal. Chem. 2011, 83, 5570–5577.). Copyright (2011) American Chemical Society.

Figure 5

Color of (A) GNPs and (B) GOD-GNP on reacting with ≥100 μg/mL glucose, with mechanism [190]. Reprinted with permission from (Radhakumary, C.; Sreenivasan, K. Naked eye detection of glucose in urine using glucose oxidase immobilized gold nanoparticles. Anal. Chem. 2011, 83, 2829–2833.). Copyright (2011) American Chemical Society.