Simultaneous Detection of Tumor Cell Apoptosis Regulators Bcl-2 and Bax through a Dual-Signal-Marked Electrochemical Immunosensor

B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) are often used to monitor the apoptosis of tumor cells and evaluate cancer drug effect. In this work, a novel sandwich-type dual-signal-marked electrochemical biosensor was fabricated for simultaneous detection of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) layers were used as substrate to immobilize Bcl-2 and Bax antibodies for further capturing target antigens. CdSeTe@CdS quantum dots (QDs) and Ag nano-clusters (NCs) with antibody modification and mesoporous silica amplification were used as signal probes, which were proportional to the amount of Bcl-2 and Bax antigens. Mesoporous SiO2 can provide a larger surface area, more effectively charged by ethylene imine polymer or poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) to adsorb more probes. The Bcl-2 and Bax proteins were determined indirectly by the detection of oxidation peak currents of Cd and Ag using anodic stripping voltammetry, showing a good linear relationship in the protein concentration range from 1 ng/mL to 250 ng/mL. The detection limit of trace protein level was similar to 0.5 fmol. The biosensor was further introduced to investigate Bcl-2 and Bax expressions from nilotinib-treated chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells. With the increase of drug dosage and incubation time, the up-regulation for Bax and down-regulation for Bcl-2 were observed, which indicated that the apoptosis level of K562 cells could be regulated by Bcl-2 family. The ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was further calculated for evaluation of its drug effect and apoptosis level. The limited cell amount for detection reached less than 1 x 10(3) cells, much lower than traditional methods. Furthermore, completely independent detection step and stable acid solutions containing Ag+ and Cd2+ for long-time storage contribute to reducing the error from the sample differences and avoiding the potential errors from the photodegradation of fluorescent probes, enzymolysis of DNA, or inactivation of enzyme during an excess experimental period.