Synthesis, characterisation and cytotoxicity of gold microwires for ultra-sensitive biosensor development

Abstract With the long-term goal of developing an ultra-sensitive microcantilever-based biosensor for versatile biomarker detection, new controlled bioreceptor-analytes systems are being explored to overcome disadvantages conventional ones. Gold (Au) microwires have been used as a probe tolerance problem that occurs in response changes environmental conditions. However, cytotoxicity Au is still unclear. Here, we examined using both commercial and as-synthesised microwires. In vitro experiments show with average quoted length 5.6 µm highly toxic against Gram-negative Escherichia coli ( E. ) at 50 µg/mL. this toxicity due presence CTAB surfactant not by Conversely, non-cytotoxicity even maximum viable concentration (330 µg/mL). These findings may lead development potentially life-saving cytotoxicity-free biosensors early diagnostic potential diseases.