Photocurrent-polarity switching between methylene blue-loaded liposome and iodine-doped BiOCl for in-situ amplified immunoassay

Abstract

This work designed a liposome-mediated photocurrent polarity switching immunosensor depending on the reversed photocurrent of iodine-doped BiOCl (I-BOC) nanoflowers induced by the released methylene blue (MB) for the detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Initially, MB-loaded liposomes as indicators were confined within the microplates to participate in the sandwiched immunoreaction and lysed under the treatment of Triton X-100 to release numerous MB. Owing to the host-guest recognition between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and MB, the released MB was immobilized on the β-CD-modified I-BOC/FTO electrode and triggered the photocurrent polarity reversal from cathodic photocurrent to anodic photocurrent. The sensing platform realized an accurate and sensitive assay of PSA due to the effective elimination of false-positive/negative signals in a linear range of 0.02-50 ng mL^-1 with a limit of detection of 12 pg mL^-1. Furthermore, this work not only conjugated liposome-assisted signal amplification strategy with the photocurrent polarity switching system but also provided a novel pathway for various protein determinations.

Keywords: Iodine-doped BiOCl nanoflowers; Low-abundance protein; Methylene blue-loaded liposome; Photocurrent-polarity switching; Photoelectrochemical immunoassay.