Cratylia mollis lectin nanoelectrode for differential diagnostic of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia based on label-free detection

The research for new biomarkers of cancer has studied the role of fetuin glycoprotein on the metastatic disease diagnosis. Cratylia mollis is a lectin with high finity to fetuin, and used here to differentiate prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. A label-free electrochemical nanosensor based on assembled carboxylated carbon nanotubes (COOH-CNTs) and poly-L-lysine (PLL) film was developed and applied to serum samples of prostate cancer positive for Gleason score. The electrode analytical response to fetuin in PBS samples, obtained by square wave voltammetry, exhibited a linear range from 0.5 to 25 µg mL−1, with a high correlation coefficient (r=0.994, p<0.001) and low limit of detection (0.017 µg mL−1). The lectin nanoelectrode showed a good repeatability (1.24% RSD) and reproducibility (4.24% RSD). A pool of serum samples from prostate cancer patients with known the Gleason score were tested showing a significant statistically correlation. Thus, the lectin nanoelectrode was able to distinguish the degree of staging prostate cancer, providing the diagnostic differentiation of benign and malign hyperplasia. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first biosensor for this application using a lectin.