Nanohorn-mediated high-performance impedance spectroscopy sensor for diagnosing osteoporosis

Abstract

Osteoporosis (OS) is a silent bone disease involved in the dysregulation of bone formation, metabolism, desorption causes a porous bone. There is a necessity for regular monitoring of the bone condition of aged people with bone-related issues. Osteocalcin (OC) is a well-known biomarker for OS, correlated with bone desorption and formation. A carbon-based nanohorn-modified impedance sensor was introduced here to quantify the OC level by a sandwich assay. Nanohorn was conjugated with an anti-osteocalcin capture antibody and attached to the impedance electrode through a carbonyldiimidazole linker and then, osteocalcin was sandwiched with detection anti-osteocalcin antibody. This sandwich immunoassay on the nanohorn attached impedance electrode identifies the osteocalcin from 7 pg/mL of osteocalcin. Further, serum-spiked experiments revealed the selective identification of OC and the control performances with negative targets and other antibodies did not show any significant response, indicating the selective identification of OS. This research assists to quantify the OC level and diagnose its condition.