Development of an electrochemiluminescence immunosensor for diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis using a BSA-AuNCs-chitosan-AgNPs-luminol nanocomposite
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a serious zoonotic disease that affects humans and animals worldwide and is caused by the parasite Echinococcus granulosus , which lives in dogs as its final host. Detecting the disease early is vital to prevent serious health problems. However, in the early stages of infection, the body produces only very low levels of antibodies against the parasite. Because of this, routine laboratory tests often struggle to identify the infection at this stage. In this study, we designed a highly sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor to detect CE. To amplify the detection signal, we used chitosan–gold nanoclusters decorated with silver nanoparticles (CS-AuNCs-AgNPs), together with a luminol/H 2 O 2 ECL system. These nanomaterials were rapidly and uniformly deposited on the electrode surface using chronoamperometry technique, creating a stable nanofilm in just 2 min. We then immobilized antigen B on the electrode as a biological recognition layer to capture CE-specific antibodies. When serum from an experimentally infected mouse was applied, binding of the antibodies to antigen B reduced the ECL signal due to steric hindrance serving as our detection indicator. The successful assembly of nanomaterials on the electrode surface was confirmed using SEM, EDX, and dot-plot analyses. Overall, this work presents a sensitive, rapid, and reproducible platform that holds strong potential for early clinical detection of cystic echinococcosis.
Source: Sensing and Bio-Sensing Research
Institution: Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,850
Funder: Iran National Science Foundation
Award: G5937831044
OpenAlex ID: W4417048481