Nanomaterials promote the fast development of electrochemical MiRNA biosensors

Abstract

Cancer has become the leading cause of death worldwide. In recent years, molecular diagnosis has demonstrated great potential in the prediction and diagnosis of cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short oligonucleotides that regulate gene expression and cell function and are considered ideal biomarkers for cancer detection, diagnosis, and patient prognosis. Therefore, the specific and sensitive detection of ultra-low quantities of miRNA is of great significance. MiRNA biosensors based on electrochemical technology have advantages of high sensitivity, low cost and fast response. Nanomaterials show great potential in miRNA electrochemical detection and promote the rapid development of electrochemical miRNA biosensors. Some methods and signal amplification strategies for miRNA detection in recent years are reviewed herein, followed by a discussion of the latest progress in electrochemical miRNA detection based on different types of nanomaterial. Future perspectives and challenges are also proposed for further exploration of nanomaterials to bring breakthroughs in electrochemical miRNA detection.

Fig. 1. Conventional methods for the detection of miRNA. (A) Northern blot. Copyright 2022, Elsevier. (B) Microarrays. Copyright 2022, Elsevier. (C) RT-qPCR. Copyright 2021, Royal Society of Chemistry.

Fig. 2. RCA is triggered to generate functional DNA nanospheres encoded by DNAzyme and substrate sequences for loading a large number of signal tags with significant electrochemical signals. Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society.

Fig. 3. Schematic illustration of the electrochemical miRNA biosensor based on DSN-assisted target recycling followed by the Au NPs and HRP enzymatic signal amplification strategy. Copyright 2019, Elsevier.

Fig. 4. Schematic illustration of the electrochemical biosensor based on triple signal amplification. Copyright 2023, Elsevier.

Fig. 5. Scheme showing the electrochemical biosensor for miRNA detection based on in situ CHA-actuated DTN interfacial probes. Copyright 2021, Elsevier.

Fig. 6. (A) Schematic diagram of miRNA-21 detection based on MoS₂–rGO and the HRP strategy. Copyright 2022, Springer Nature. (B) The mimic enzyme cascade catalytic mechanism between the hemin/G-quadruplex DNAzyme with peroxidase-like activity and bifunctional Mn₃O₄@AuNPs with glucose oxidase-like activity and self-supplied O₂ property. Copyright 2024, Elsevier. (C) Schematic diagram of the ratio of the electrochemical biosensor based on walker amplification and Ag NPs for the detection of miRNAs. Copyright 2022, Elsevier. (D) Schematic illustration of the Pt@COFNSs biosensor for sensitive miRNA-21 detection. Copyright 2023, Elsevier.

Fig. 7. (A) Schematic representation of (a) the synthesis of the rGO/Au nanocomposite, and (b) the fabrication of the rGO/Au nanocomposite-based miRNA-122 electrochemical detection platform. Copyright 2020, Elsevier. (B) The electrochemical signal amplification strategy based on trace metal ion-modified WS₂ for the ultra-sensitive detection of miRNA-21. Copyright 2023, Elsevier. (C) Illustration of the biosensing platform with MoS₂/AAO as the recognition interface. Copyright 2023, Elsevier.

Fig. 8. (A) Schematic diagrams of the preparation of MXene–rGO–Au nanocomposites and miRNA-21 electrochemical biosensors. Copyright 2023, Elsevier. (B) A schematic illustration of the design and fabrication of the electrochemical biosensor. Copyright 2022, Elsevier.

Fig. 9. (A) Schematic illustration of the preparation process of the vertically aligned SWCNT-modified electrode. Copyright 2019, Royal Society of Chemistry. (B) Schematic preparation of MWCNTs/PB nanocomposites and illustration of the PPY/MWCNTs/PB nanowire array. Copyright 2021, Springer Nature.

Ruizhuo Ouyang

Ying Huang

Yuanhui Ma

Yuefeng Zhao

Baolin Liu

Yuqing Miao