MXene-AuNCs-based electrochemical aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of neuron-specific enolase in early lung cancer diagnosis

This study presents a titanium carbide MXene-gold nanocomposites (MXene-AuNCs)-based aptasensor for the sensitive detection of neuron-specific enolase (NSE). Laser-induced graphene electrodes (LIGEs) were fabricated using polyimide film as the three-electrode electrochemical sensing system. Specifically, MXene-AuNCs were immobilized on the working electrode to enhance both the electronic conduction and the immobilization capacity of the NSE aptamers (Apt). As a labeling material, MXene-AuNCs-Apt facilitated signal amplification, enabling highly sensitive detection. Under optimized conditions, this aptasensor exhibited an ultralow detection limit of 0.13 pg/mL for NSE, a wide detection range from 0.01 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL along with satisfactory reproducibility, repeatability, specificity and stability. Furthermore, the proposed aptasensor was successfully applied to measure NSE levels in serum samples. This work provides an efficient strategy for the fabrication of high-performance electrochemical biosensors in the preliminary estimates and diagnosis of lung cancer at early stages.