Impedimetric sensor modified with molecularly imprinted polymer for highly sensitive detection of pyruvate

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia accounts for 80 % of childhood leukemias and 20 % of adult leukemias. Leukemia diagnosis is generally made through blood tests and bone marrow biopsies, but these diagnostic methods come with various challenges. In the present study, a molecularly imprinted polymer-modified impedimetric sensor was developed for the sensitive analysis of pyruvic acid, a clinically relevant biomarker, aiming at the early and facile diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. A glassy carbon electrode was coated with MIP using 2-Acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid as a functional monomer via a photopolymerization method in the presence of pyruvic acid. K3[Fe(CN)6]/K4[Fe(CN)6] was used as the redox probe in the all measurements. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was employed for sensing of pyruvic acid to evaluate the sensor's analytical capabilities, the PA/AMPS@MIP-GCE's electrochemical response was systematically compared to that of a vitreous carbon electrode modified with a non-imprinted polymer, serving as a control. The linear range for the detection of pyruvic acid on PA/AMPS@MIP-GCE was found to be between 10 pM and 100 pM, with a limit of detection of 0.187 pM and a limit of quantification of 0.624 pM. The developed sensor exhibited good selectivity for pyruvic acid, showing high sensitivity toward the target biomarker while distinguishing it from structurally similar molecules identified for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia diagnosis. To assess the applicability and reliability of the proposed sensor, it was directly applied to synthetic human serum samples without any pretreatment, thereby demonstrating its practical feasibility. The outcomes indicate that the generated impedimetric sensor enables the sensitive and selective detection of pyruvic acid. Notably, this represents the first reported method for pyruvic acid analysis utilizing EIS.