Recent trends in aptamer-based nanobiosensors for detection of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) biomarker: A review

Environ Res. 2023 Nov 1;236(Pt 1):116726. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116726. Epub 2023 Jul 24.

Abstract

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a remarkable cytokine that plays an important role in regulating vascular formation during the angiogenesis process. Therefore, real-time detection and quantification of VEGF is essential for clinical diagnosis and treatment due to its overexpression in various tumors. Among various sensing strategies, the aptamer-based sensors in combination with biological molecules improve the detection ability VEGFs. Aptamers are suitable biological recognition agents for the preparation of sensitive and reproducible aptasensors (Apt-sensors) due to their low immunogenicity, simple and straightforward chemical modification, and high resistance to denaturation. Here, a summary of the strategies for immobilization of aptamers (e.g., direct or self-assembled monolayer (SAM) attachment, etc.) on different types of electrodes was provided. Moreover, we discussed nanoparticle deposition techniques and surface modification methods used for signal amplification in the detection of VEGF. Furthermore, we are investigating various types of optical and electrochemical Apt-sensors used to improve sensor characterization in the detection of VEGF biomarkers.

Keywords: Aptamer; Biomarker; Nanoparticle; Sensor; Theranostic; VEGF-Aptasensor.

Publication types

  • Review