Electrochemical immunosensor for detecting the spore wall protein of Nosema bombycis based on the amplification of hemin/G-quadruplex DNAzyme concatamers functionalized Pt@Pd nanowires

•Immunosensor based on hemin/G-quadruplex functionalized Pt@PdNWs could sensitively detect SWP N.b.•Pt@PdNWs prepared by one-pot synthesis showed excellent catalytic activity in signal amplification.•The prepared immunosensor exhibited low detection limit and wide linear range to SWP N.b.

In this work, an ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensor for detecting the Pebrine disease related spore wall protein of Nosema bombycis (SWP N.b) was fabricated based on the amplification of hemin/G-quadruplex functionalized Pt@Pd nanowires (Pt@PdNWs). The synthesized Pt@PdNWs possessed large surface area, which could effectively improve the immobilization amount of hemin/G-quadruplex DNAzyme concatamers produced via hybridization chain reaction (HCR). In the presence of SWP N.b, the hemin/G-quadruplex labeled Pt@PdNWs bioconjugations was captured on electrode surface and thus obtained electrochemical signal. After the addition of NADH into the electrolytic cell, hemin/G-quadruplex firstly acted as an NADH oxidase to locally produce H2O2 in the presence of dissolved O2. Then, the generated H2O2 would be quickly reduced via hemin/G-quadruplex as a horseradish peroxidase mimicking (HRP-mimicking) DNAzyme, which finally promoted the self-redox reaction of hemin/G-quadruplex and a greatly enhanced electrochemical signal was obtained. Furthermore, Pt@PdNWs with excellent electrocatalytic performance could also amplify electrochemical signal. With these amplification factors, the electrochemical immunosensor exhibited a wide linear range from 0.001 ng mL−1 to 100 ng mL−1 with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.24 pg mL−1, providing a new promise for the diagnosis of Pebrine disease.