Nanoparticle biosensors for cardiovascular disease detection.

Early detection and management of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are crucial for patient survival and long-term health. CVD biomarkers such as cardiac Troponin-I (cTnI), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), Galectin-3 (Gal-3), etc are released into the circulation following heart muscle injury, ie, acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Biosensor technology including the use of nanoparticles can be designed to target specific biomarkers associated with CVD, enabling early detection and more rapid intervention to decrease morbidity and mortality. To date, with the combination of developed nanoparticles, several optical and electrochemical-based biosensors have successfully been used detection of CVD biomarkers. Nanomaterials, when introduced as the modifiers of sensor surfaces like electrodes and gold chips, can result in the more comprehensive and more effective immobilization of capture molecules, ie, antibodies, aptamers and other ligands, due to their large surface area. In recent years, inorganic nanoparticles have regularly been used in the production of biosensors mostly due to their excellent response intensification, adaptable functionalization chemistry, shape control, good biocompatibility, and great stability. In this review, we discuss the application of different kinds of nanoparticles for the sensitive and specific detection of CVD biomarkers.