Ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing platform based on graphene wrapping SnO2 nanocorals and autonomous cascade DNA duplication strategy

Publication date: 1 December 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 175
Author(s): Ying-Xu Chen, Ke-Jing Huang, Feng Lin, Lin-Xia Fang
In this work, a sensitive, universal and reusable electrochemical biosensor based on stannic oxide nanocorals-graphene hybrids (SnO2 NCs-Gr) is developed for target DNA detection by using two kinds of DNA enzymes for signal amplification through an autonomous cascade DNA duplication strategy. A hairpin probe is designed composing of a projecting part at the 3′-end as identification sequence for target, a recognition site for nicking endonuclease, and an 18-carbon shim to stop polymerization process. The designed DNA duplication–incision–replacement process is handled by KF polymerase and endonuclease, then combining with gold nanoparticles as signal carrier for further signal amplification. In the detection system, the electrochemical–chemical–chemical procedure, which uses ferrocene methanol, tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine and l-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate as oxidoreduction neurogen, deoxidizer and zymolyte, separately, is applied to amplify detection signal. Benefiting from the multiple signal amplification mechanism, the proposed sensor reveals a good linear connection between the peak current and logarithm of analyte concentration in range of 0.0001–1 × 10^–11molL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 1.25 × 10^–17molL⁻¹ (S/N=3). This assay also opens one promising strategy for ultrasensitive determination of other biological molecules for bioanalysis and biomedicine diagnostics.

Graphical abstract

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