Amperometric sandwich-type aptasensor based on peroxidase mimetic Au@Pt for the carcinoembryonic antigen

For sensitive analysis of cancer biomarker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), an amperometric sandwich-type aptasensor is proposed based on a signal amplification strategy of Au@Pt bimetallic nanoprobes. As the excellent catalytic activity to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), core-shell Au@Pt nanoparticles are employed as nanoprobes by conjugating directly with the secondary aptamer of CEA (Apt-II). Due to the synergic recognition effect of dual aptamers and the excellent catalytic activity of nanoprobes, this amperometric sandwich-type aptasensor for CEA exhibits high specificity and good sensitivity with a limit of detection of 0.31 ng/mL, along with a wide linear range from 0.1 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL.     

Electrochemical Aptasensor for Zearalenone Based on DNA Assembly and Exonuclease III as Amplification Strategy

A sensitively electrochemical aptasensor was developed to detect zearalenone, utilizing DNA assembly based on hybridization chain reaction to amplify the signal current and exonuclease III to reduce the background current. The linear range 5.0×10⁻⁵ ng/mL-50 ng/mL, and the limit of detection is 0.013 pg/mL. The fabricated aptasensor showed the high specificity toward aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), fumonisin B1 (FB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA), good repeatability and reproducibility. In addition, the average recoveries of spiked corn and beer samples were in the range of 89 % to 102 %. The established method is of great significance in the field of food safety detection.     

A novel signal-on fluorescent aptasensor for ochratoxin A detection based on RecJf exonuclease-induced signal amplification

This article describes a simple and homogeneous fluorescent aptasensor for the detection of ochratoxin A (OTA). With its high specificity and simplicity; RecJ_f exonuclease is used to cleave DNA strand of the FAM-aptamer/OTA complex and realize target recycling signal amplification. In order to avoid the loss of reaction system, magnetic beads (MBs) are added only once at the last experimental step. This proposed fluorescent aptasensor showed the higher sensitivity in the range of 0.1–100 ng/mL with LOD of 0.056 ng/mL, and the good selectivity against other interfering toxins. The feasibility of the prepared aptasensor was studied by detecting OTA in spiked liquor and cereal samples. The obtained average recoveries ranged from 92% to 115%. This study provides a promising application with convenience and rapidness in the aptasensor fabrication for food safety analysis.     

A novel electrochemical aptasensor for highly sensitive detection of thrombin based on the autonomous assembly of hemin/G-quadruplex horseradish peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme nanowires

In this work, a new signal amplified strategy was constructed based on isothermal exponential amplification reaction (EXPAR) and hybridization chain reaction (HCR) generating the hemin/G-quadruplex horseradish peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme (HRP-mimicking DNAzyme) nanowires as signal output component for the sensitive detection of thrombin (TB). We employed EXPAR’s ultra-high amplification efficiency to produce a large amount of two hairpin helper DNAs within a minutes. And then the resultant two hairpin helper DNAs could autonomously assemble the hemin/G-quadruplex HRP-mimicking DNAzymes nanowires as the redox-active reporter units on the electrode surface via hybridization chain reaction (HCR). The hemin/G-quadruplex structures simultaneously served as electron transfer medium and electrocatalyst to amplify the signal in the presence of H₂O₂. Specifically, only when the EXPAR reaction process has occurred, the HCR could be achieved and the hemin/G-quadruplex complexes could be formed on the surface of an electrode to give a detectable signal. The proposed strategy combines the amplification power of the EXPAR, HCR, and the inherent high sensitivity of the electrochemical detection. With such design, the proposed assay showed a good linear relationship within the range of 0.1 pM–50 nM with a detection limit of 33 fM (defined as S/N = 3) for TB.     

基于荧光共振能量转移的核酸适体传感器研究

基于荧光共振能量转移的原理,以修饰于核酸适体上的FAM作为能量供体,以氧化石墨烯作为能量受体,构建了荧光适体传感器,分别对不同浓度的胰岛素和多巴胺进行检测.结果表明,胰岛素的线性检测范围为0.05~10μmol/L,多巴胺的线性检测范围为1~500μmol/L,当胰岛素和多巴胺检测浓度相同时,胰岛素检测信号远强于多巴胺.对胰岛素和多巴胺分别进行特异性实验,发现该传感器对胰岛素和多巴胺有较强的特异性.说明基于荧光共振能量转移的核酸适体传感器不仅可实现多种物质的微量检测,还具有较强的选择性,在生物和医药检测领域应用前景广阔.     

用于检测水环境中银离子浓度的荧光适体传感器研究

银凭借其独特的性能,在医疗材料、摄影、电子、成像等行业中应用广泛。然而,银离子被列为最具毒性的重金属离子之一,会对环境以及人类的生命健康造成严重威胁。为了灵敏、特异性的检测水环境中的银离子浓度,利用纳米金的优良光学猝灭性以及双链核酸适体捕获银离子能力更强的优点,结合荧光能量共振转移原理,提出一种用于检测水环境中银离子浓度的荧光适体传感器。将修饰SH键的核酸适体与纳米金混合形成稳定的纳米结构,并加入标记有FAM的核酸适体,形成检测银离子浓度的工作溶液。当不存在银离子时由于不匹配碱基C-C之间的排斥力导致两条核酸适体不结合,反应体系中具有较强的荧光;当存在银离子时,双链核酸适体中不匹配的C-C能与银离子通过金属离子-碱基的相互作用形成稳定的C-Ag+-C碱基对,这种复合结构的产生会拉近纳米金和荧光基团之间的距离,使得荧光信号随着银离子浓度的增加而逐渐减弱。根据加入银离子前后荧光强度的变化可实现银离子浓度的检测。同时,为了提高传感器的灵敏性和稳定性,实验优化了工作溶液中纳米金与核酸适体的浓度比、氯化钠浓度、缓冲液的pH以及培养温度等参数。结果表明,当浓度为0.012 5 g·L-1的纳米金与5 μmol·L-1核酸适体的体积比为5∶1,NaCl浓度为260 mmol·L-1,缓冲液pH 7,培养温度为30 ℃时,工作溶液初始荧光强度最强,银离子检出限为10 nmol·L-1,相关系数为R2=0.99。此外,该传感器对银离子的浓度检测表现出较好的特异性,且具有操作简单、灵敏和不引入有毒溶剂等优点,在水环境中的银离子浓度检测领域有较好的应用前景。     

A Novel Electrochemical Aptasensor for Carcinoembryonic Antigen Detection Based on Target‐induced Bridge Assembly

The present study describes a novel electrochemical aptasensor for detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a key cancer biomarker. The sensing strategy relied on the CEA‐induced bridge assembly, as a physical barrier, on the surface of gold electrode, resulting in a significant increase of the sensor sensitivity. Under optimal conditions, the aptasensing platform showed a wide linear range (3 pg/mL to 40 ng/mL) and a low detection limit (0.9 pg/mL). Some possible interfering materials were also assessed and the results indicated that the designed aptasensor had good specificity toward CEA. The quantitation of CEA in the spiked human serum samples confirmed the reliability and applicability of the electrochemical aptasensor. So, the developed sensing method has a potential application in the clinical diagnosis.     

Electrochemical Aptasensor for the Determination of Cocaine Incorporating Gold Nanoparticles Modification

A novel electrochemical aptasensor incorporating a signal enhancement for the determination of cocaine was designed. Gold nanoparticles were self‐assembled onto the surface of a gold electrode through 1,6‐hexanedithiol. A bifunctional derivative of the 32‐base cocaine‐binding aptamer with a redox‐active ferrocene moiety and a thiol linker group at the termini of the strand was self‐assembled onto the surface of gold nanoparticles. The oxidation peak current is linearly related to the concentration of cocaine from 1.0 to 15.0 μM with a detection limit of 0.5 μM. It was found that the sensitivity of the aptasensor with gold nanoparticles modification was ca. 10‐fold higher than that of the aptasensor without gold nanoparticles modification. This work demonstrates that gold nanoparticles‐assembled gold electrode provides a promising platform for immobilizing aptamer and enhancing the sensitivity.     

An electrochemical aptasensor for chiral peptide detection using layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolyte-methylene blue/polyelectrolyte-graphene multilayer

Here we demonstrate for the first time that by physically adsorbing aptamer onto conductive film assembled via alternate adsorption of graphene/polyelectrolyte and methylene blue/polyelectrolyte, a label-free electrochemical aptasensor with high sensitivity and selectivity for peptide detection is constructed. Graphene multilayer derived from layer-by-layer assembly has played significant roles in this sensing strategy: allowing accumulation of methylene blue, facilitating electron transfer and providing much more adsorption site. As compared to previous electrochemical aptasensors, the current sensor based on graphene multilayer alternated with electroactive molecule layer offers extremely high capability for sensitive detection of target without interference of environmental surrounding. This electroactive probe-confined graphene multilayer confers great flexibility to combine with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) together. In the presence of target d entiomer of arginine vasopressin (d-VP), the binding of peptide to aptamer block the electron transfer process of MB, leading to decreased current peak of DPV. By this way, this electrochemical aptasensor based on electroactive molecule-intercalated graphene multilayer provide highly sensitive and specific detection of d-VP with the lowest detectable concentration of 1 ng mL⁻¹ and a wide detection range from 1 to 265 ng mL⁻¹.     

Label-Free Fluorescent Aptasensor Based on a Graphene Oxide Self-Assembled Probe for the Determination of Adenosine Triphosphate

A sensitive and selective fluorescent aptasensor for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was fabricated, composed of unbound SYBR Green I, graphene oxide, and a label-free detection probe. When ATP and complementary DNA of a signal probe were introduced, π-stacking interactions repelled the probe from the graphene oxide and formed a DNA-SYBR Green I duplex structure, triggering an increase in the fluorescence. ATP was determined over a linear range of 10 to 700 nM with a detection limit of 1 nM. The method displayed good selectivity, and is currently the most sensitive ATP fluorescence method. Furthermore, prominent fluorescence signals were also obtained in cellular assays. Consequently, the biosensor may have significant applications in protein, pathogenic microorganisms, and small molecule detection.