Facile synthesis of Fe3O4@polyethylenimine with peroxidase-like activity for highly sensitive detection of interferon a-2b

The sensitive detection of interferon alpha-2b (IFN-a2b) is crucial in treating viral infections and cancers. However, the natural enzymes used in the traditional enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) face the obstacles of high cost and low stability. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop more cost-effective and stable alternatives to detect IFN-a2b. To address this issue, we synthesized polyethyleneimine (PEI)-modified magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4@PEI MNPs) that are highly stable, affordable and simple to prepare. These Fe3O4@PEI MNPs serve as a substitute for horseradish peroxidase in the ELISA-based detection of IFN-a2b, providing better sensitivity than chromatographic and traditional ELISA techniques. The peroxidase-like activity of Fe3O4@PEI MNPs can develop color, enabling the visualization of IFN-a2b. The proposed immunoassay has a linear increase with IFN-a2b concentrations ranging from 0.075 to 25 ng mL(-1), with a low limit of detection of 0.055 ng mL(-1). Based on the outstanding peroxidase-like activity of Fe3O4@PEI MNPs, this method has the potential to be used for the clinical detection of IFN-a2b and other protein biomarkers in disease diagnosis and treatments.

Automated summary

Polyethyleneimine (PEI)-modified magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4@PEI MNPs) were synthesized and used as a substitute for enzymes in the detection of interferon alpha-2b (IFN-a2b). This method offers a higher sensitivity, lower cost and increased stability compared to traditional enzyme-based assays.