A gold nanoparticle-based immunosensor for the chemiluminescence detection of the hepatitis B surface antigen

A sensitive immunoassay method was developed for the detection of HBsAg. A chemiluminescence label was prepared based on the co-immobilization of a secondary antibody and luminol on gold nanoparticles. HBsAg was targeted by a primary antibody, immobilized in polystyrene wells and a secondary antibody, co-immobilized on luminol-gold nanoparticles. After the formation of the immune sandwich, the luminescence intensity was recorded in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant agent and Au as an efficient catalyst for luminol oxidation. HBsAg was detected in the linear concentration range from 0.12 to 30 ng mL and had the detection limit of 14 pg mL . The proposed method has been successfully applied to determine the HBsAg in patient serums. This method has excellent precision, a good detection limit, a wide linear range, a low cost and is user friendly. With these features, the proposed method is suitable for measuring antigen in patient serums. © 2014 The Royal Society of Chemistry.