Electrochemical identification of hepatocellular carcinoma based on the assay of human cervical cancer oncoprotein-1 in serum

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors throughout the world, generally leading to death within 6–20 months. Since there is no effective therapy for patients with advanced HCC, early diagnosis of HCC is crucial. In this paper, we report a novel method for detecting human cervical cancer oncoprotein-1 (HCCR-1) overexpressed in early-stage HCC, which is of great value for early-stage HCC identification. Specifically, calixarene derivative is immobilized on a gold electrode surface. Then, HCCR-1 antibody is further loaded on the electrode surface, which may capture HCCR-1 in serum. Since the recognition of HCCR-1 in serum can be monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and the experimental results may show a different EIS response between the patients with HCC and the healthy subjects, HCC can be easily identified by our approach. Moreover, due to its simple and convenient operation, the proposed method in this work may have considerable potential for early-stage HCC diagnosis in the future.

► An impedimetric method is proposed for the assay of HCCR-1.
► ProLinker B is used to immobilize HCCR-1 antibody in a favorable orientation.
► HCCR-1 can be directly detected in serum.
► Patients with HCC can be distinguished from healthy subjects by the EIS response.