Skip to main content
. 2022 Sep 7;12(9):738. doi: 10.3390/bios12090738

Table 4.

Examples of electrochemiluminescence systems for detecting diverse biomarkers a.

Electrode Co-Reactant Luminophore Receptor Target Related Disease Dynamic Range LoD Sample Features Reference
GCE S2O82− Hollow porous C3N4 Apt Insulin Diabetes 0.05 pg/mL–100 ng/mL 17 fg/mL Human serum Use of AuPtAg NP as a single type of co-reaction accelerator.
Combination of Nb.BbvCl-aided DNA walker signal amplification methods.		 [22]
GCE S2O82− SnO2 QDs Capture DNA miRNA-21 Cancer 10 aM–100 pM 2.9 aM Cell lysates Combination with a 3D DNA walker.
Use of MnO2 NFs, AgNPs and hemin/G-quadruplex as multiple co-reaction accelerators.		 [32]
GCE S2O82− Lanthanide MOF Capture DNA p53 gene Cancer 1 pM–100 nM 0.33 pM Human serum Co-quenching (1) effective ECL-RET quenching between a LaMOFs-CV pair in microchannels; (2) quenching caused by the dsDNA-bridged electron transfer from excited LaMOFs to CV. [42]
GCE/AuNP S2O82− Ru(bpy)32+ Ab NT-proBNP Heart failure 0.0005 ng/mL–100.0 ng/mL 0.28 pg/mL Human serum Use of a PDA-coated Fe3O4 as a quencher.
Use of a AuNP-modified GO-Ru(bpy)32+/Ag2C2O4 as a luminophore		 [43]
GCE TEA TPA nanocrystal None Dopamine Neurological diseases 5 nM–10 μM 3.1 nM Human serum Use of a crystallisation-induced enhanced ECL of the TPA nanocrystals. [45]
GCE TPrA Ir(ppy)3, Ru(bpy)2(dvbpy)2+, Ir(dFCF3ppy)2(dtbbpy)+ Ab CEA, AFP, β-HCG Cancer ND ND None Multicolour ECL system using three different luminophores with different emission spectra and a potential resolved ECL generation ability. [51]
ITO TPrA [Ru(bpy)3]2+ [Ir(ppy)3] PSA Cancer 1 ng/mL–20 ng/mL ND Human serum Closed BPE system.
ECL emission based on modulating the resistance of the BPE.		 [58]
ITO TPrA Ru(bpy)32+, Ir(df-ppy)2(pic) Ab PSA, miRNA-141, sarcosine Cancer 1 ng/mL–25 ng/mL for PSA, 10 × 10−15 M–10 × 10−10 M for miRNA-141, 5 × 10−7 M to 5 × 10−4 M for sarcosine 4.0 ng/mL PSA, 20 fM miRNA-141, and 1.0 M sarcosine Human serum Closed ECL-BPE system.
ECL emission based on modulating the resistance of the BPE.		 [53]
FTO TPrA Ru(bpy)32+ Ab PSA, IL-6, PSMA Cancer - 0.093 ng/mL (for PSA), 0.061 pg/mL (for IL-6), 0.059 ng/mL (for PSMA) Human serum Closed BPE array microfluidic chip system (3 × 6 array). [52]
GCE DEDA (for anodic ECL), dissolved O2 (for cathodic ECL) Au25 NC None CEA, MUC1 Cancer ND 0.43 pg/mL (for CEA), 5.8 fg/mL (for MUC1) None Use of TiO2 NSs and Cu2O@CuNPs as cathodic and anodic co-reaction accelerators, respectively.
Combination of the target-catalysed hairpin hybridisation as a signal amplification strategy.		 [37]
GCE/AuNP C60(ZnTPP)3@γ-cyclodextrin Capture DNA miRNA Cancer 1 pM–100 nM 120 fM Human serum Use of a host-guest inclusion-based universal probe tag for the ECL signal readout, with no need for a biofunctionalised pre-treatment of the luminophore. [54]
GCE TPrA Ru(bpy)32+, luminol Capture DNA miRNA-21, miRNA-155 Cancer 10 × 10−15 M–10 × 10−9 M 8.7 × 10−15 M for miRNA-21 and 1.2 × 10−15 M for miRNA-155 Cell lysates Combination of the ECL-RET and CHA reaction.
Use of a quenching effect by RET between Janus NPs and dyes (Cy5 and FAM).		 [39]
GCE Dissolved oxygen C-PFBT dot None miRNA Cancer ND 33 aM Cell lysates No additional input of a co-reactant.
Use of in situ generated H2O2 via GOx catalytic reaction.
Combination of a target-recycling reaction and HCR		 [35]
ITO H2O2 Luminol Ab CYFRA 21-1 Cancer 0.0075 ng/mL–50 ng/mL 1.89 pg/mL Human serum Use of CaO2 possessing a capacity of self-supplying H2O2 and O2 via a hydrolysis reaction of CaO2.
Use of a BPE-ECL system.		 [55]
GCE Luminol Ab RBP4 Type 2 diabetes mellitus 0.0001 ng/mL–100 ng/mL 43 fg/mL Human serum Use of luminol@AuPt/ZIF-67 (ECL donor) with peroxidase activity for developing an enzyme-free system.
Use of MnO2@CNTs and GSH as a quencher (dual quenching system). 		[44]
Au/ITO TPrA C-Ir (III) for the cathode, (pq)2Irbza/TPrA for the anode PtNR-GOx- Ab PSA Cancer 1 pg/mL–10 ng/mL 0.72 pg/mL None Use of BPE.
Use of Pt-tipped AuNRs for facilitating the reduction of H2O2. 		[56]
Paper TPrA Ru(bpy)32+ Capture DNA miRNA-155 Cancer 1 pM–10 μM 0.67 pM None Paper-based BPE-ECL system. [57]
Paper S2O82− CdTe QDs, Au@g-C3N4 NSs Capture DNA miRNA-126, miRNA-155 Cancer 1 × 10−14 M–1 × 10−7 M 5.7 fM (for miRNA-155), 4.2 fM (for miRNA-126) None Paper-based dual-channel BPE-ECL system for multiple detections.
Combination of Nb.BbvCl-aided DNA walker signal amplification method.		 [36]
GCE TPrA AgInS2/ZnS NC Ab Carbohydrate antigen 125 Cancer 5 × 10−6 U/mL–5 × 10−3 U/mL 1 × 10−6 U/mL Human serum NIR-ECL system. [47]
GCE Tri-isopropanolamine AuNC Ab CYFRA21−1 Cancer 2 fg/mL–50 ng/mL 0.67 fg/mL Human serum NIR-ECL system.
Use of AuNCs as the luminophore and hollow double-shell-CuCo2O4@Cu2O heterostructures as the co-reaction accelerators		 [41]
GCE K2S2O8 CuNC Ab AFP Cancer 1 ng/mL–400 ng/mL 0.02 ng/mL Human serum NIR-ECL system. [48]
GCE TEOA AuNC Ab AFP Cancer 3 fg/mL–0.1 ng/mL 1 fg/mL Human serum NIR-ECL system.
Use of the methionine-tagged Au NCs to achieve NIR-ECL. 		[49]
GCE TEOA Ag−Ga−In−S NC Ab PSA Cancer 0.05 pg/mL–1.0 ng/mL 0.01 pg/mL None NIR-ECL system.
Use of the GSH-tagged NCs.		 [50]
GCE NHSS Ru(bpy)32+ None L-Proline, Hg2+ Cancer 0.5 μM–200 μM (for proline), 0.1 μM–25 μM (for Hg2+) 50 nM (for proline), 10 nM (for Hg2+) Serum, urine, lake water Anodic ECL system. [59]

a Abbreviations: LoD, limit of detection; GCE, glassy carbon electrode; Ab, antibody, Apt, aptamer; NP, nanoparticle; MOF, metal-organic frame; NT-proBNP, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide; TEA, triethylamine; TPA, tetraphenyl alkene; PDA, polydopamine; GO, graphene oxide; NC, nanocrystal; CV, crystal violet; TPrA, tri-n-propylamine; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; β-HCG, beta-human chorionic gonadotropin; DEDA, N,N-diethylethylenediamine; NS, nanosheet; MUC1, mucin 1; CYFRA 21-1, squamous cell carcinomas named cytokeratin 19 fragments; miRNA, microRNA; C-PFBT, carboxyl-functionalised poly[(9,9-dioctylindole-2,7-diyl)-co-(1,4-benzo-{2,1′-3}-thiadiazole); GOx, glucose oxidase; FTO, fluorine-doped tin dioxide; iL-6, interleukin-6; PSMA, prostate-specific membrane antigen; HCR, hybridisation chain reaction; RBP4, retinol-binding protein 4; CNT, carbon nanotube; GSH, glutathione; C-Ir(III), cyclometalated iridium(III); PSA, prostate-specific antigen; NR, nanorod; BPE, bipolar electrode; NIR, near-infrared; NC, nanocluster; TEOA, Triethanolamine; NHSS, N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide; ND, not determined.