▎ 摘　　要

Human immunodeficiencyvirus (HIV) causing acquired immune deficiencysyndrome (AIDS) is still a global issue. Long-term drug treatmentand nonadherence to medication increase the spread of drug-resistantHIV strains. Therefore, the identification of new lead compounds isbeing investigated and is highly desirable. Nevertheless, a processgenerally necessitates a significant budget and human resources. Inthis study, a simple biosensor platform for semi-quantification andverification of the potency of HIV protease inhibitors (PIs) basedon electrochemically detecting the cleavage activity of the HIV-1subtype C-PR (C-SA HIV-1 PR) was proposed. An electrochemical biosensorwas fabricated by immobilizing His6-matrix-capsid (H(6)MA-CA)on the electrode surface via the chelation to Ni2+-nitrilotriaceticacid (NTA) functionalized GO. The functional groups and the characteristicsof modified screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) were characterizedby Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS).C-SA HIV-1 PR activity and the effect of PIs were validated by recordingchanges in electrical current signals of the ferri/ferrocyanide redoxprobe. The detection of PIs, i.e., lopinavir (LPV) and indinavir (IDV),toward the HIV protease was confirmed by the decrease in the currentsignals in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, our developed biosensordemonstrates the ability to distinguish the potency of two PIs toinhibit C-SA HIV-1 PR activities. We anticipated that this low-costelectrochemical biosensor would increase the efficiency of the leadcompound screening process and accelerate the discovery and developmentof new HIV drugs.