Phthalocyanine-doped polystyrene fluorescent nanocomposite as a highly selective biosensor for quantitative determination of cancer antigen 125.

A novel, simple, sensitive, and precise spectrofluorometric assay of cancer antigen [CA 125] is described. This modality is based on monitoring the quenching of the luminescence intensity at 790 nm of the phthalocyanine fluorophore, in a nanocomposite comprising the fluorophore and cationic polystyrene, which results from interaction with CA 125. The remarkable quenching of the luminescence intensity of the Ni-phthalocyanine complex doped in PS matrix by various concentrations of CA 125 was successfully utilized as an optical sensor for the determination of CA 125 in different serum samples of ovarian disease. The performance of the designed biosensor is determined through monitoring the quenching of the luminescence intensity at 790 nm by cancer antigen 125 after excitation at 685 nm, pH 7.3 in water. The calibration plot was achieved over the concentration range 1.0 × 10-2 - 127 U mL-1 CA-125 with a correlation coefficient of 0.99 and detection limit of 1.0 × 10-4 U mL-1. The mechanism of the interaction between the nano thin film nickel(II)phthalocyanine and CA-125 was discussed. A significant correlation between the proposed method for the assessment of CA 125 and the standard method was applied to patients and controls.