Abstract
In this work, a novel nanocomposite consisting of electrosynthesized gold nanodendrites and chitosan nanoparticles (AuNDs/CSNPs) has been prepared to fabricate an impedimetric immunosensor based on a screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) for the rapid and sensitive immunoassay of botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A). BoNT/A polyclonal antibody was immobilized on the nanocomposite-modified SPCE for the signal amplification. The structure of the prepared nanocomposite was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The charge transfer resistance (R(CT)) changes were used to detect BoNT/A as the specific immuno-interactions at the immunosensor surface that efficiently limited the electron transfer of Fe(CN)₆(3-/4-) as a redox probe at pH = 7.4. A linear relationship was observed between the %∆R(CT) and the concentration logarithm of BoNT/A within the range of 0.2 to 230 pg·mL(-1) with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.15 pg·mL(-1). The practical applicability of the proposed sensor was examined by evaluating the detection of BoNT/A in milk and serum samples with satisfactory recoveries. Therefore, the prepared immunosensor holds great promise for the fast, simple and sensitive detection of BoNT/A in various real samples.