Nanobody-Based Electrochemical Immunoassay for Ultrasensitive Determination of Apolipoprotein-A1 Using Silver Nanoparticles Loaded Nanohydroxyapatite as Label

Nanobodies (Nbs), derived from camelid heavy-chain antibodies, have distinct advantages over conventional antibodies in immunoassay. In this work, Nbs (Nb11 and Nb19) that can bind to different epitopes on apolipoprotein-A1 (Apo-A1) were screened out from an immunized Bactrian camel for the first time. Nb11 was used as capture antibody and fixed on gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) modified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). The silver nanoparticles loaded nanohydroxyapatite (Ag-nHAP) was used as signal tag to label secondary antibody Nb19. A sandwich-type immunological reaction occurred between Apo-A1 and the two Nbs, which brought the Ag-nHAP to the SPCE surface. After the Ag-nHAP were acidically dissolved in the microelectrolytic cell of the SPCE, stripping voltammetric measurement for the released silver ions was performed to obtain an amplified signal. The peak current values increased by the logarithmic values of Apo-A1 concentrations from 10(-4) to 50 ng mL(-1) under optimal conditions. The detection limit was calculated to be 0.02 pg mL(-1). This method was used for the serum samples analysis and achieved satisfactory results. The low cost and high sensitivity make the electrochemical immunosensor suitable for the Apo-A1 detection, which may find promising application in other fields.