A Sensitive Electrochemical Assay for Early Detection of HIV-1 Protease Using Ferrocene-Peptide Conjugate/Au Nanoparticle/Single Walled Carbon Nanotube Modified Electrode

Abstract

A rapid and simple electrochemical detection method has been developed to detect the presence of protease (HIV-1 PR) in HIV patients' sera. In this assay format, disposable screen printed gold electrode (SPGE) surface was modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) or thiolated single-walled carbon nanotubes/gold nanoparticles (SWCNT/AuNPs). Thiol-terminated ferrocene (Fc)-pepstatin was then self-assembled on such modified surfaces. The interaction between the Fc-pepstatin modified substrates and HIV-1 PR was confirmed by scanning electron (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) and probed by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). A linear relationship was observed between the shift in peak potential and the increasing number of HIV-1 viral replications in the HIV-infected serum samples.

Keywords:

• Electrochemistry
• Ferrocene
• Gold nanoparticle
• HIV-1
• Pepstatin
• Protease
• Single-walled carbon nanotube

This article was submitted as part of a Special Memorial Issue honoring Prof. George G. Guilbault.

We thank Dr. Chris Tsoukas of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada for providing the blood samples. Acknowledgment is also extended to Sabahudin Hrapovic and Yali Liu of the National Research Council Canada, Biotechnology Research Institute, Montreal, Canada for SEM and AFM data acquisition.