MoS2 nanoflower based electrochemical biosensor for TNF alpha detection in cancer patients

Tumour Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) plays a vital role in apoptosis and cancer. Till date, there is no existing biosensor for detecting TNF-α in cancer patients serum samples. Here, a nano biosensor based on MoS2 nanoflower (nf) was fabricated for the recognition of TNF-α in cancer patients’ serum. Hydrothermal method was employed for MoS2 nf synthesis followed by characterisation using various microscopy and spectroscopic techniques. The biosensor was fabricated by electrophoretic deposition of MoS2 nf onto indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrate. The nanoflower morphology helped in the effective linker-free immobilization of antibodies on the surface of electrode via physical adsorption. The fabricated biosensor showed promising results within a broad linear detection range (1–200 pg ml−1) with limit of detection (LOD) as 0.202 pg ml−1 and limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.01 pg ml−1. The electrodes showed high sensitivity of 23.156 Ω pg−1 ml cm−2 with higher selectivity. Furthermore, the electrodes demonstrated a high correlation with the conventional technique, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for early screening of cancer patient serum samples. [Display omitted]