An ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensor for apolipoprotein E4 based on fractal nanostructures and enzyme amplification

Human apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and can greatly increase the morbidity. In this work, an ultrasensitive sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor for the quantitative detection of APOE4 was designed based on fractal gold (FracAu) nanostructures and enzyme amplification. The FracAu nanostructures were directly electrodeposited by hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (HAuCl4) on polyelectrolytes modified indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. The sensing performances of the modified interface were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). After functionalization with HRP-labeled APOE4 antibody, the human APOE4 could be detected quantitatively by current response. The current response has a linear relationship with the logarithm of human APOE4 concentrations in a range from 1.0 to 10,000.0 ng/mL, with a detection limit of 0.3 ng/mL. The fabricated APOE4 electrochemical immunosensor exhibits strong specificity, high sensitivity, low detection limit and wide linear range. The detection of human APOE4 provides a strong support for the prevention of AD and early-stage warning for those susceptible populations.