Determination of tumor necrosis factor-α in serum using extended-gate field-effect transistor-based chemosensors with molecularly imprinted polymer-coated gold dendrites

Here, we developed extended-gate field-effect transistor (EG-FET)-based chemosensors with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) on a gold-dendritic (AD) electrode to detect tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum. The poly(β-cyclodextrin) film was electrochemically prepared on the AD electrode using a potentiodynamic technique, followed by TNF-α immobilization by host-guest interaction. The MIP film was formed via electropolymerization of thiophene-3-amidoxime (T3A) monomer in PBS solution with one scan cycle at an applied voltage of 0–1.2 V. After electrochemical optimization, the sensing behavior (based on drain current, I_ds) of the MIP films was investigated to explore the validity of the sensors, resulting in excellent reproducibility, reusability, and stability. Based on the ΔI_ds – C_TNF-α regression curves obtained in serum containing various analyte concentrations, the imprinting factor (IF) of MIP-based EG-FET sensor was 5.55. The selectivity was evaluated by comparing sensing property using analogous cytokine proteins (interleukin 1β [IL-1β] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]). The MIP-based EG-FET sensors exhibited high sensitivity (LOD: 0.55 pg/mL, LOQ: 1.82 pg/mL) and excellent selectivity (coefficient (α)> 3). Based on the excellent sensing performances, including high sensitivity and selectivity, excellent reproducibility, robustness, reusability, and stability, our (EG-FET)-based chemosensor with TNF-α-recognizing MIP film can be used for the early diagnosis and point–of–care of immune-related diseases.