ABSTRACT
The development of DNA-sensing platforms based on new synthetized Methylene Blue functionalized carbon nanodots combined with different shape gold nanostructures (AuNs), as a new pathway to develop a selective and sensitive methodology for SARS-CoV-2 detection is presented. A mixture of gold nanoparticles and gold nanotriangles have been synthetized to modify disposable electrodes that act as an enhanced nanostructured electrochemical surface for DNA probe immobilization. On the other hand, modified carbon nanodots prepared a la carte to contain Methylene Blue (MB-CDs) are used as electrochemical indicators of the hybridization event. These MB-CDs, due to their structure, are able to interact differently with double and single-stranded DNA molecules. Based on this strategy, target sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been detected in a straightforward way and rapidly with a detection limit of 2.00 aM. Moreover, this platform allows the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 sequence in the presence of other viruses, and also a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs). The developed approach has been tested directly on RNA obtained from nasopharyngeal samples from COVID-19 patients, avoiding any amplification process. The results agree well with those obtained by RT-qPCR or reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique.
ABSTRACT
This work focuses on the development of an electrochemiluminescent nanostructured DNA biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Gold nanomaterials (AuNMs), specifically, a mixture of gold nanotriangles (AuNTs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), are used to modified disposable electrodes that serve as an improved nanostructured electrochemiluminescent platform for DNA detection. Carbon nanodots (CDs), prepared by green chemistry, are used as coreactants agents in the [Ru(bpy)3]2+ anodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) and the hybridization is detected by changes in the ECL signal of [Ru(bpy)3]2+/CDs in combination with AuNMs nanostructures. The biosensor is shown to detect a DNA sequence corresponding to SARS-CoV-2 with a detection limit of 514 aM.