Ratiometric Electrochemiluminescence Sensing of Carcinoembryonic Antigen Based on Luminol

Ratiometric electrochemiluminescence (ECL) selsors can efficiently remove environmental interference to attain precise detection. Nonetheless, two eligible luminophores or coreactants were usually needed, increasing the complexity and restricting their practical application. In this study, a single luminophore of luminol with a single coreactant of H2O2 was employed to construct a dual-potential ratiometric ECL sensor for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The produced palladium nanoclusters (Pd NCs) employing a DNA duplex as a template could not only stimulate luminol to produce cathodic ECL (I-cathodjc) but also quench its anodic ECL (I-anodic). During the detection process, CEA could damage the double-stranded structure and reduce the Pd NCs' amount, triggering a significant decrease in the ratio of I-cathodic to I-anodic (I-cathodic/I-anodic) and thereby achieving sensitive CEA's detection. Furthermore, the I-Cathodic/I-anodic was independent of the H2O2 concentration, which avoided a prejudicial effect from H2O2 decomposition and considerably enhanced the detection's reliability. The developed ratiometric ECL sensor demonstrated a sensitive detection toward CEA with a wide linear range from 100 ag/mL to 10 ng/mL and a detection limit of 87.1 ag/mL (S/N = 3). In conclusion, this study offers a new idea for constructing ratiometric ECL sensors based on a single luminophore and technical support for cancer's early diagnosis.

Automated summary

This study developed a dual-potential ratiometric ECL sensor for sensitive detection of CEA using a single luminophore and a single coreactant. The sensor showed a wide linear range and high reliability.