Boronic Acid-Decorated Carbon Dot-Based Semiselective Multichannel Sensor Array for Cytokine Discrimination and Oral Cancer Diagnosis

Abstract

Cytokines are essential components of the immune system and are recognized as significant biomarkers. However, detection of a single cytokine is not precise and reliable enough to satisfy the requirements for diagnosis. Herein, we developed a pattern recognition-based method for the multiplexed sensing of cytokines, which involves three-color-emitting boronic aciddecorated carbon dots (BCDs) and arginine-modified titanium carbide (Ti 3 C 2 MXenes) as the sensor array. Initially, the fluorescence signals of the three BCDs were quenched by Ti 3 C 2 MXenes. In the presence of cytokines, the fluorescence intensity of the BCDs was restored or further quenched by different cytokines. The fluorescence response occurs in two steps: first, boronic acid interacts with cis-diol functional groups of cytokines, and second, arginine headgroup selectively interacts with glycans. By exploiting the different competing binding of the BCDs and the cytokines toward Ti 3 C 2 MXenes, seven cytokines and their mixtures can be effectively discriminated at a concentration of 20 ng mL −1 . Furthermore, our sensor array demonstrated an excellent performance in classifying human oral cancer saliva samples from healthy individuals with clinically relevant specificity. The noninvasive method offers a rapid approach to cytokine analysis, benefiting early and timely clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Visual Sensor Array for Multiple Aromatic Amines via Specific Ascorbic Acid Oxidase Mimic Triggered Schiff-Base Chemistry

“…The designed sensor array generated a matrix of 2 channels × 6 analysts × 5 replicates. With the help of linear discrimination analysis (LDA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), − six aromatic amines were identified.…”

Redox-Induced Multisignal Sensing Based on Fluorescent Polydopamine Nanoparticles and MnO2 Nanozyme for the Detection and Differentiation of Reducing Substances

“…Utilizing a microplate reader, the absorbance at 410 nm, and the fluorescence emission peaks at 480 and 580 nm (excitation wavelength: 420 nm) were recorded. Subsequent data analysis was conducted using a self-designed Anacanda3 code developed by our research group . The data were further subjected to linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) utilizing Origin software.…”