Design of innovative and low-cost dopamine-biotin conjugate sensor for the efficient detection of protein and cancer cells

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2025 Jan 15;678(Pt C):766-775. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.09.145. Epub 2024 Sep 18.

Abstract

The rapid, precise identification and quantification of specific biomarkers, toxins, or pathogens is currently a key strategy for achieving more efficient diagnoses. Herein a dopamine-biotin monomer was synthetized and oxidized in the presence of hexamethylenediamine, to obtain adhesive coatings based on polydopamine-biotin (PDA-BT) on different materials to be used in targeted molecular therapy. Insight into the structure of the PDA-BT coating was obtained by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy acquired, for the first time, directly onto the coating, deposited on alumina spheres. The receptor binding capacity of the PDA-BT coating toward 4-hydroxyazobenzene-2-carboxylic acid/Avidin complex was verified by means of UV-vis spectroscopy. Different deposition cycles of avidin onto the PDA-BT coating by layer-by-layer assembly showed that the film retains its receptor binding capacity for at least eight consecutive cycles. Finally, the feasibility of PDA-BT coating to recognize cell lines with different grade of overexpression of biotin receptors (BR) was investigated by tumor cell capture experiments by using MCF-7 (BR+) and HL-60 (BR-) cell lines. The results show that the developed system can selectively capture MCF-7 cells indicating that it could represent a first approach for the development of future more sophisticated biosensors easily accessible, low cost and recyclable with the dual and rapid detection of both proteins and cells.

Keywords: Avidin; Biotin; Dip-coating; Dopamine; HL-60 and MCF-7 cells; Low-cost sensor.

MeSH terms

  • Avidin / chemistry
  • Biosensing Techniques*
  • Biotin* / chemistry
  • Dopamine* / analysis
  • HL-60 Cells
  • Humans
  • Indoles / chemistry
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Molecular Structure
  • Particle Size
  • Polymers / chemistry
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Biotin
  • Dopamine
  • Indoles
  • Polymers
  • polydopamine
  • Avidin