Magnetic bead-based electrochemical and colorimetric assays of circulating tumor cells with boronic acid derivatives as the recognition elements and signal probes

• Published in: Talanta (Oxford) Vol. 221; p. 121640
• Main Authors: Xia, Ning, Wu, Daohong, Yu, Haiqing, Sun, Wanwan, Yi, Xinyao, Liu, Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.01.2021
• Subjects: 4-Mercaptophenylboronic acid; Aptamer; Aptamers, Nucleotide; Biosensing Techniques; Boronic Acids; Circulating tumor cells; Colorimetry; Ferroceneboronic acid; Glycosylation; Gold; Gold nanoparticles; Humans; Magnetic Phenomena; Metal Nanoparticles; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; 4-Mercaptophenylboronic acid; Aptamer; Glycosylation; Circulating tumor cells; Ferroceneboronic acid; Gold nanoparticles
• ISSN: 0039-9140; 1873-3573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121640

Simple, sensitive and rapid detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is of great importance for early diagnosis and therapy of cancers. Overexpression of sugar units on cell surface is related to the phenotypes of many cancers. Based on the boronate ester interaction, we reported the electrochemical and colorimetric detection of CTCs with high simplicity and sensitivity. Specifically, ferroceneboronic acid (FcBA) can be measured by differential pulse voltammetry and 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (MPBA) can induce the aggregation and color change of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). CTCs captured by the aptamer-modified magnetic beads (Apt-MBs) can sequestrate FcBA or MPBA molecules by the formation of boronate ester bonds, thus leading to the decrease in the electrochemical signal of FcBA or preventing the MPBA-triggered aggregation of AuNPs. Due to the overexpression of sugar groups on the surface of CTCs, the amplification-free methods exhibited high sensitivity and obviated the use of additional antibody or aptamer for the recognition of captured cells. With MCF-7 cancer cell as the model, 50 cells can be readily determined by the electrochemical and colorimetric methods. The proposed strategy is valuable for probing of cell glycosylation and designing of novel sensing devices for detection of sugar-containing biological macromolecules and cells. [Display omitted] •Boronic acid derivatives were sequestrated by circulating tumor cells captured by magnetic beads.•The strategy obviates the use of additional antibody or aptamer for the recognition of captured cells.50• MCF-7 cancer cells can be readily determined with a simple and time-saving procedure.•This work is valuable for probing of cell glycosylation and designing of novel sensing devices.