Capacitive label-free ultrasensitive detection of PSA on a covalently attached monoclonal anti-PSA antibody gold surface

A rapid, low-cost, and accurate point-of-care analytical device for the determination of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is required for the early diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa). In this work, an electrochemical capacitive immunosensor was developed for the label-free detection of PSA. The immunosensor was based on the covalent immobilization of monoclonal anti-PSA antibody via carbodiimide chemistry onto gold electrode (AuE) pre-modified with a thin monolayer film of isophthalic acid (IPA). A methodology based on the steric hindrance of 1,3-substituted aryldiazonium salt was adopted to control the growth of the IPA thin film on the gold electrode. The non-specific binding sites were blocked with bovine serum albumin (BSA) to afford an AuE-IPA-anti-PSA-mAb|BSA immunosensor. The immunosensor was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The analytical performance of the developed sensor was evaluated using the capacitance Nyquist plots generated from the complex impedance data. In addition, complex capacitance was also calculated from the imaginary part of the impedance and plotted against the log of frequency. The double layer capacitance from the circuit fitting (RSC) was also used and compared the sensitive capacitance signals to the changes in PSA concentrations. The LOD values were in fg.mL−1 and distinguishable from the blank (PBS) for the Nyquist plots of capacitance, complex capacitance, and double layer capacitance signals. The developed immunosensor exhibited good stability, selectivity, low detection limits, and a wide linear range which was suitable for screening of prostate cancer using prostate-specific antigen.