Sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of AFP based on Pd octahedral and APTES-M-CeO2-GS as signal labels

In the present work, an ultrasensitive sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor based on a novel signal amplification strategy was designed for quantitative detection of alpha fetoprotein (AFP). Au nanoparticles with biocompatibility were electrodeposited on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) which can effectively capture and immobilize primary anti-AFP (Ab1) to significantly amplify the electrochemical signal. Graphene Oxide and CeO2 mesoporous nanocomposite functionalized by the 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane supported Pd octahedral nanoparticles (Pd/APTES-M-CeO2-GS) were utilized as labels of detection anti-AFP (Ab2). Pd octahedral nanoparticles presented good catalytic activity towards the reduction of H2O2. Due to the large specific surface area and good adsorption properties of APTES-CeO2-GS nanocomposite, large amount of Pd octahedral nanoparticles could be immobilized, which could amplify the electrochemical signal and improve the sensitivity of the immunosensor. Under optimal conditions, the immunosensor exhibited wide linear range from 0.1 pg/mL to 50 ng/mL with a low detection limit of 0.033 pg/mL (S/N=3) for AFP detection. In addition, high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, good reproducibility and stability were obtained for the immunosensor, which has a promising application for quantitative detection of other tumor markers in clinical diagnosis.