Microfluidic Biosensor Based on Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) Modified Thin-Core Microfiber for Immune Detection of Toxoplasma gondii

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a zoonotic parasite that is widely distributed and seriously endangers public health and human health. Therefore, accurate and effective detection of T. gondii is crucial. This study proposes a microfluidic biosensor using a thin-core microfiber (TCMF) coated with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) for immune detection of T. gondii. The single-mode fiber was fused with the thin-core fiber, and the TCMF was obtained by arc discharging and flame heating. In order to avoid interference and protect the sensing structure, the TCMF was encapsulated in the microfluidic chip. MoS2 and T. gondii antigen were modified on the surface of TCMF for the immune detection of T. gondii. Experimental results showed that the detection range of the proposed biosensor for T. gondii monoclonal antibody solutions was 1 pg/mL to 10 ng/mL with sensitivity of 3.358 nm/log(mg/mL); the detection of limit was calculated to be 87 fg/mL through the Langmuir model; the dissociation constant and the affinity constant were calculated to be about 5.79 × 10−13 M and 1.727 × 1014 M−1, respectively. The specificity and clinical characteristics of the biosensor was explored. The rabies virus, pseudorabies virus, and T. gondii serum were used to confirm the excellent specificity and clinical characteristics of the biosensor, indicating that the proposed biosensor has great application potential in the biomedical field.