Dulplex analysis of mercury and silver ions using a label-free fluorescent aptasensor

Label-free Hg²⁺ aptamer was used as a sensing element and the PicoGreen dye was specific to ultra-sensitive double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), which achieved novel fluorescence assay for detection of both mercury and silver ions. In this aptasensor, Hg²⁺ bound to thymidine (T) to form T–Hg^2+-T base pairs and Ag⁺ specifically interacted with C–C mismatches to produce C–Ag⁺–C base pairs. The conformation changes prevented the aptamer from binding to its complementary sequences to form dsDNA and caused a fluorescence intensity decrease with PicoGreen. The change in the fluorescence intensity made it possible to detect both Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ in a dose-dependent manner. The sensing system could detect as low as 5 × 10^–8 mol/L of Hg²⁺ and 9.3 × 10^–10 mol/L of Ag⁺. The fluorescent intensity changes in the system were specific for Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺, making this simple and cost-effective method extremely valuable in its future applications in monitoring Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ pollution in environmental analysis.     

免标记比色核酸适配体传感器同步快速检测孔雀石绿和无色孔雀石绿

研究以双特异性核酸适配体A3作为传感探针、纳米金(AuNPs)为指示剂、NaCl溶液为聚集诱导剂,构建了一种新型的免标记AuNPs比色生物传感器,可实现水产品中孔雀石绿(MG)和无色孔雀石绿(LMG)的同步、快速、可视化检测。该方法的检测原理是核酸适配体A3对MG和LMG有双特异性识别能力,可作为MG和LMG理想的识别受体。它可通过静电作用吸附到AuNPs表面,保护AuNPs并抑制高盐溶液诱导的聚集,AuNPs溶液颜色不变,即为红色;当加入靶标MG或LMG后,该核酸适配体能够与靶标特异性结合,并从AuNPs表面上解离,AuNPs失去保护作用而在高盐溶液诱导下发生聚集,溶液颜色由红变蓝。根据颜色变化,可通过肉眼定性或通过光谱仪定量分析MG和LMG的残留量。该方法首先将50μL的核酸适配体A3(终浓度150 nmol/L)与150μL的AuNPs(终浓度1.25 nmol/L)混合,室温孵育6 min。随后加入50μL待测液,室温孵育30 min。最后加入50μL NaCl(终浓度150 mmol/L), 4 min后观察溶液颜色变化,并分别测定MG和LMG在520 nm和650 nm下的...     

Electrochemical aptasensor for the determination of bisphenol A in drinking water

We present an electrochemical aptasensor for rapid and ultrasensitive determination of the additive bisphenol A (BPA) and for screening drinking water for the presence of BPA. A specific aptamer against BPA and its complementary DNA probe were immobilized on the surface of a gold electrode via self-assembly and hybridization, respectively. The detection of BPA is mainly based on the competitive recognition of BPA by the immobilized aptamer on the surface of the electrode. The electrochemical aptasensor enables BPA to be detected in drinking water with a limit of detection as low as 0.284 pg?mL^?1 in less than 30 min. This extraordinary sensitivity makes the method a most powerful tool for on-site monitoring of water quality and food safety.

Electrochemical aptasensor for highly sensitive determination of cocaine using a supramolecular aptamer and rolling circle amplification

Microchimica Acta - We report on a novel strategy for the electrochemical detection of cocaine. It is based on the use of a supramolecular aptamer, rolling circle amplification (RCA), and multiplex...     

Reusable, label-free electrochemical aptasensor for sensitive detection of small molecules

We report a sensitive electrochemical aptasensor for adenosine based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement, which gives not only a label-free but also a reusable platform to make the detection of small molecules simple and convenient.     

Analyte-induced formation of partial duplexes for the preparation of a label-free electrochemiluminescent aptasensor

Analyte-induced formation of partial duplexes was used for biosensor development with cocaine as a model. The cocaine-aptamer interaction resulted in formation of a partial double strand section in the aptamer, where Ru(phen)(3)(2+) was intercalated for electrochemiluminescent analysis of cocaine.     

Electrochemical immunoassay using magnetic beads for the determination of zearalenone in baby food: An anticipated analytical tool for food safety

In this work, electrochemical immunoassay involving magnetic beads to determine zearalenone in selected food samples has been developed. The immunoassay scheme has been based on a direct competitive immunoassay method in which antibody-coated magnetic beads were employed as the immobilisation support and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used as enzymatic label. Amperometric detection has been achieved through the addition of hydrogen peroxide substrate and hydroquinone as mediator.Analytical performance of the electrochemical immunoassay has been evaluated by analysis of maize certified reference material (CRM) and selected baby food samples. A detection limit (LOD) of 0.011 μg L⁻¹ and EC₅₀ 0.079 μg L⁻¹ were obtained allowing the assessment of the detection of zearalenone mycotoxin. In addition, an excellent accuracy with a high recovery yield ranging between 95 and 108% has been obtained. The analytical features have shown the proposed electrochemical immunoassay to be a very powerful and timely screening tool for the food safety scene.     

Highly sensitive electrochemical label-free aptasensor based on dual electrocatalytic amplification of Pt-AuNPs and HRP

In this work, a label-free electrochemical aptamer-based sensor (aptasensor) was constructed on account of the direct immobilization of redox probes on an electrode surface. For this proposed aptasensor, a gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-coated electrode was firstly modified with redox probes-nickel hexacyanoferrates nanoparticles (NiHCFNPs) through chemisorption and electrostatic adsorption. Then, platinum-gold alloy nanoparticles (Pt-AuNPs) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were respectively assembled onto the modified electrode surface, which formed the multilayer films for amplifying the electrochemical signal of NiHCFNPs and immobilizing thiolated thrombin aptamers (TBAs). In the presence of target thrombin, the TBA on the multilayer could catch the thrombin onto the electrode surface, which resulted in a barrier for electro-transfer, leading to the decrease of the electrochemical signal of NiHCFNPs amplified by the Pt-AuNPs and HRP toward H(2)O(2). The proposed method avoided the redox probes labeling process, increased the amount of redox probes, and further amplified the electrochemical signal. Thus, the approach showed a high sensitivity and a wider linearity to thrombin in the range between 0.01 nM and 50 nM with a detection limit of 6.3 pM.     

Challenges in the determination of aminoglycoside antibiotics,a review

Residues of antibiotics (ABs) in the aquatic environment and in food of animal origin represent a major concern, as prolonged exposure to ABs is a serious health hazard, related to both the side effects of prolonged use and the risk of developing bacterial resistance to various ABs. Given the low levels of the AB residues in complex matrices, the development of sensitive analytical methods represents a major challenge. This is certainly true for the aminoglycoside ABs (AGs) which lack a chromophore and show poor chromatographic properties in reversed-phase liquid chromatography. This paper reviews the current state of the art in the determination of AGs. Attention is paid to extraction, sample clean-up, chromatographic separation, and detection of AGs in both environmental and food samples and in plasma and serum. A general workflow for the analysis of AGs is presented which takes into account the matrix and required level of information.     

Electrochemical determination of p-cresol concentration using zeolite-modified electrodes

Carbon paste electrodes modified with different zeolites (MFI and FAU) were studied in order to evidence the electro-oxidation of p-cresol. Cyclovoltammetric experiments were applied by direct measurement in p-cresol-containing aqueous solution, or during release in solution without p-cresol after impregnation. In both cases, the electro-oxidation signal of p-cresol led to two oxidation peaks. Different concentrations of p-cresol were studied. Influences of charge compensating cations, electrode impregnation time and zeolite type were investigated. It was shown that electrochemical measurements could be used as a detection method for p-cresol in aqueous solution with a high sensitivity.     

Electrochemical determination of melamine using oligonucleotides modified gold electrodes

A novel and simple electrochemical method for determination of melamine is developed based on oligonucleotides film modified gold electrodes. The electrochemical probe of ferricyanide was used to investigate the interactions between oligonucleotides and melamine. Results of cyclic voltammetries, differential pulse stripping voltammetries, electrochemical impedance spectrometry and atomic force microscope, proved that melamine might interact with oligonucleotides mainly through electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding interactions. The interactions between oligonucleotides and melamine lead to the increase in the peak currents of ferricyanide, which could be used for electrochemical sensing of melamine. The redox peak currents of ferricyanide were linear with the concentration of melamine in the range from 3.9 × 10⁻⁸ to 3.3 × 10⁻⁶ M with a linear coefficiency of 0.990. The detection limit was 9.6 × 10⁻⁹ M. The proposed electrochemical biosensor is rapid, convenient and low-cost for effective sensing of melamine. Particularly, the proposed method was applied successfully to the determination of melamine in milk products, and the recovery was 95%.     

Electrochemical determination of sulfaguanidine using COOH-MWCNT coated GC electrode

The electrochemical behavior of sulfaguanidine was investigated in PBS buffer aqueous solutions. Cyclic voltammograms have shown that (1) the Sg provided a well-defined irreversible oxidation peak (2) the signal-to-background current ratio is 3 times higher at COOH-MWCNT coated GCE than that of bare GCE and (3) the modifying GCE surface by COOH-MWCNT led to a significant improvement (2.7 folds) of the electrochemical response. It has been shown that Sg oxidizes according to a diffusion-controlled mechanism. A linear calibration curve was obtained for the oxidation of Sg at 10–70 μM. The COOH-MWCNT coated GCE has also been successfully used for the determination of Sg in real samples.     

Electrochemical indirect competitive immunoassay for ultrasensitive detection of zearalenone based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes and chitosan

Microchimica Acta - The authors describe an electrochemical immunoassay for ultrasensitive detection of the mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEA). A nanocomposite was prepared from carboxy-functionalized...     

Chitosan-iron oxide nanocomposite based electrochemical aptasensor for determination of malathion

An electrochemical aptasensor based on chitosan-iron oxide nanocomposite (CHIT-IO) film deposited on fluorine tin Oxide (FTO) was developed for the detection of malathion. Iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method and characterized by Transmission electron microscopy and UV–Visible spectroscopy. The biotinylated DNA aptamer sequence specific to the malathion was immobilized onto the iron oxide doped-chitosan/FTO electrode by using streptavidin as linking molecule. Various characterization studies like Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Electrochemical studies were performed to attest the successful fabrication of bioelectrodes. Experimental parameters like aptamer concentration, response time, stability of electrode and reusability studies were optimized. Aptamer immobilized chitosan-iron oxide nanocomposite (APT/SA/CHIT-IO/FTO) bioelectrodes exhibited LOD of about 0.001 ng/mL within 15 min and spike-in studies revealed about 80–92% recovery of malathion from the lettuce leaves and soil sample.     

Zeptomolar detection of Hg2 + based on label-free electrochemical aptasensor: One step closer to the dream of single atom detection

An ultra-sensitive and highly selective electrochemical label-free aptasensor is proposed for the quantitation of Hg^2 + based on the hybridization/dehybridization of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) on a gold electrode. Thiol-substituted single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is self-assembled on the gold electrode surface through the SAu interaction. The hybridization of ssDNA with complementary DNA (cDNA) and the consequences of dehybridization in the presence of mercury ions are followed through differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) responses using a [Fe(CN)₆]^{3 −/4 −} redox probe. The formation of a thymine–Hg^2 +–thymine (T–Hg^2 +–T) complex is the key to producing a highly selective and sensitive aptasensor for Hg^2 + determination. Specifically, the present electrochemical aptasensor is able to quantify Hg^2 + ions in concentrations from 5 zeptomolar (zM) to 55 picomolar (pM) with a limit of detection of 0.6 zM, close to the dream of single atom detection, without requiring a complicated procedure or expensive materials.     

Electrochemical determination of hesperidin using mesoporous SiO2 modified electrode

A simple micro-capillary electrophoresis system to be used as disposable device was developed. A short commercial capillary was used as the separation channel, hydrostatic pressure generated by the sample employed for injection, and a voltage of 200 V used for separation in a 6 cm long capillary assisted by hydrostatic pressure of the carrier. The device was used for the separation of dopamine and catechol. Good reproducibility and efficiency was obtained. Because the instrumentation and operation conditions were simplified, and a replaceable modular separation channel was used, the proposed micro-capillary electrophoresis system is potentially useful in disposable devices.