Electrochemical determination of carbohydrate-binding proteins using carbohydrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles and silver enhancement.

A highly sensitive electrochemical lectin biosensor has been developed for the first time using carbohydrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles and silver-enhancement technique. A target lectin protein, Concanavalin A (Con A), was specifically bound to the self-assembled monolayer of thiolated mannose on a gold electrode. Mannose-stabilized gold nanoparticles were added to form a sandwich-type complex with the Con A and were followed by silver-enhancement process to coat the mannose-stabilized gold nanoparticles with silver metal. The coated metallic silver was dissolved in an acidic solution and the resulting silver ions were detected by anodic stripping voltammetry. The present lectin biosensor gave a linear response (R(2)=0.999) for Con A concentration from 0.084 μg/mL to 50.0 μg/mL with a remarkable detection limit (S/N=3) of 0.070 μg/mL, which is much lower compared to those obtained with the reported microgravimetric and colorimetric detection methods.