Determination of hepatitis B virus surface antigen in serum with a sandwich immunoassay and capillary electrophoresis–electrochemical detection

Abstract

Sensitive and accurate detection of small quantities of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) is important for the diagnosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and the prevention of HBV transmitted disease. A novel immunoassay for the determination of HBsAg in human serum was developed based on a sandwich-type protocol and capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation technology. The protocol was characterized using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and potentiostatic methods, and a linear range of 0.08–10 ng mL⁻¹ was obtained with a detection limit (3σ) of 0.01 ng mL⁻¹. The new electrochemical immunoassay showed high sensitivity, good accuracy, high selectivity, acceptable reproducibility, fast analysis time, and better performance for determining small concentrations of HBsAg in serum compared with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.