A digoxin electrochemical aptasensor using Ag nanoparticle decorated graphene oxide

Abstract

In this work, a highly sensitive aptasensor for digoxin determination in biological samples has been introduced. The surface of a gold screen-printed electrode was modified by using electrodeposited gold nanoparticles (GNPs). A monolayer of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was then self-assembled on the GNP surfaces. Subsequently, an amino-labeled digoxin specific aptamer was covalently bonded to the carboxylic groups of MPA on the GNPs through imide bond formation. The silver nanoparticle decorated graphene oxide (AgNPs–GO) interacted with the immobilized aptamer via π–π interaction and the oxidation signal of AgNPs was monitored. In the presence of digoxin, the hybrid left the electrode surface due to the specific interaction between the aptamer and digoxin, and the oxidation signal decreased. The proposed aptasensor delivered a linear dynamic range of 1 pM to 0.1 μM and a detection limit of 0.3 pM and was successfully utilized for digoxin determination in biological samples with good reliability.