Label-Free Fluorescence-Based Aptasensor for the Detection of Sulfadimethoxine in Water and Fish

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang-Xiu Chen ◽  
Zheng-Zhong Lin ◽  
Cheng-Yi Hong ◽  
Hui-Ping Zhong ◽  
Qiu-Hong Yao ◽  
...  

Fluorescence-based aptasensors possess high sensitivity but are complicated and usually require multistep labeling and modification in method design, which severely limit the practical applications. Here, a label-free fluorescence-based aptasensor, consisting of aptamer, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots (QDs), was developed for the detection of sulfadimethoxine (SDM) in water and fish based on the specific recognition of SDM-aptamer and the inner filter effect of QDs and AuNPs. In the absence of a target, AuNPs dispersed in salt solution because of the aptamer protection, which could effectively quench the fluorescence emission of QDs, while in the presence of SDM, AuNPs aggregated due to the specific recognition of SDM-aptamer to SDM, which resulted in fluorescence recovery. A linear response of SDM concentrations in the range of 10–250 ng mL−1 ( R2 = 0.99) was obtained, and the detection limit was 1.54 ng mL−1 (3σ, n = 9), far below the maximum residue limit (100 ng mL−1) of SDM in edible animal tissues regulated by China and the European Commission. The fluorescence-based aptasensor was applied to the detection of SDM in aquaculture water and fish samples with high accuracy, excellent precision, and ideal selectivity. The results indicated that the developed aptasensor was simple in design, easy to operate, and could be used to detect rapidly and accurately SDM in water and fish samples.

NANO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (04) ◽  
pp. 2050048
Author(s):  
Yong Qian ◽  
Xiangfu Meng ◽  
Hongji Liu ◽  
Xingyu Wang ◽  
Hui Wang

Magnetic and fluorescent-based sensors have demonstrated widely applications due to their easily recycle and quickly optical response. However, the complex synthesis and weaker function of these sensors limit their practical applications. Herein, an unmodified, magnetic-functionalized carbon dots-based fluorescent sensor has been developed for label-free detection of pH and Cu[Formula: see text] with high sensitivity. The sensors can not only reversibly quench and recover the fluorescence signals in response to the variation of surrounding environment including pH and Cu[Formula: see text], but also be used as a high-efficiency recyclable adsorbent for removing Cu[Formula: see text], Hg[Formula: see text], Cr[Formula: see text] and Pb[Formula: see text] from aqueous solution.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 593-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghasem Shiravand ◽  
Alireza Badiei ◽  
Hassan Goldooz ◽  
Mehdi Karimi ◽  
Ghodsi M. Ziarani ◽  
...  

Background: Dichromate (Cr2O7 2-) ion is one of the carcinogenic and toxic spices in environment which can easily contaminate the environment due to its high solubility in water. Therefore, a lot of attention has been focused on the detection of Cr2O7 2- with high sensitivity and selectivity. Methods: In present work, nitrogen-rich precursor was used for synthesizing graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanostructures through hydrothermal oxidation of g-C3N4 nanosheets. The prepared nanostructures show two distinct fluorescence emissions centered at 368 and 450 nm which are highly sensitive toward Cr2O7 2- ions. Results: The as-prepared g-C3N4 was characterized by several techniques such as Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and fluorescence emission spectra. The XRD pattern of prepared nanostructures illustrated two diffraction patterns (at 13.4° and 27.6°) indicating tri-s-tri-azine-based structures. The g-C3N4 exhibited good selectivity and sensitivity toward Cr2O7 2- among other anions. According to titration test, the detection limit and stern-volmer constant (Ksv) were calculated as 40 nM and 0.13×106 M-1, respectively. The investigation of quenching mechanism shows that Cr2O7 2- may form hydrogen bonding with surface groups of g-C3N4 (such as NH2, OH and COOH) resulted in more fluorescence quenching in comparison with the pure inner filter effect. Conclusion: The g-C3N4 nanostructures were successfully synthesized through the hydrothermal oxidation. The as-prepared g-C3N4 can be used as a highly sensitive fluorescent probe for the selective determination of Cr2O7 2 ion among other anions. The quenching mechanism was experimentally studied. According to reliable responses in real sample tests, it can be proposed that g-C3N4 nanostructure is a suitable sensitive nanosensor for detection of Cr2O7 2 ions in aqueous media.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj B. Agarwal ◽  
Navneet Kumar Thakur ◽  
Rishi Sharma ◽  
Parul Singh ◽  
Joshy Joseph ◽  
...  

AbstractBiosensors based on liquid-gated carbon nanotubes field-effect transistors (LG-CNTFETs) have attracted considerable attention, as they offer high sensitivity and selectivity; quick response and label-free detection. However, their practical applications are limited due to the numerous fabrication challenges including resist-based lithography, in which after the lithography process, the resist leaves trace level contaminations over the CNTs that affect the performance of the fabricated biosensors. Here, we report the realization of LG-CNTFET devices using silicon shadow mask-based chemical-free lithography process on a 3-in. silicon wafer, yielding 21 sensor chips. Each sensor chip consists of 3 × 3 array of LG-CNTFET devices. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and Raman mapping confirm the isolation of devices within the array chip having 9 individual devices. A reference electrode (Ag/AgCl) is used to demonstrate the uniformity of sensing performances among the fabricated LG-CNTFET devices in an array using different KCl molar solutions. The average threshold voltage (Vth) for all 9 devices varies from 0.46 to 0.19 V for 0.1 mM to 1 M KCl concentration range. This developed chemical-free process of LG-CNTFET array fabrication is simple, inexpensive, rapid having a commercial scope and thus opens a new realm of scalable realization of various biosensors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (18) ◽  
pp. 5033-5038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Shu ◽  
Jianxing Wang ◽  
Xiangfang Lin ◽  
Ziping Zhou ◽  
Feng Liang ◽  
...  

A ratiometric fluorescent sensor based on 4-nitrophenol-induced selective quenching of the blue fluorescence emission of the diTyr residues of the GNCs@BSA via the inner filter effect.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanfeng Pang ◽  
Zhen Rong ◽  
Rui Xiao ◽  
Shengqi Wang

Abstract A turn on and label-free fluorescent apasensor for Hg2+ with high sensitivity and selectivity has been demonstrated in this report. Firstly, core−shell Ag@SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthetized as a Metal-Enhanced Fluorescent (MEF) substrate, T-rich DNA aptamers were immobilized on the surface of Ag@SiO2 NPs and thiazole orange (TO) was selected as fluorescent reporter. After Hg2+ was added to the aptamer-Ag@SiO2 NPs and TO mixture buffer solution, the aptamer strand can bind Hg2+ to form T-Hg2+-T complex with a hairpin structure which TO can insert into. When clamped by the nucleic acid bases, the fluorescence quanta yield of TO will be increased under laser excitation and emitted a fluorescence emission. Furthermore, the fluorescence emission can be amplified largely by the MEF effect of the Ag@SiO2 NPs. The whole experiment can be finished within 30 min and the limit of detection is 0.33 nM even with interference by high concentrations of other metal ions. Finally, the sensor was applied for detecting Hg2+ in different real water samples with satisfying recoveries over 94%.


Biosensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 266
Author(s):  
Nataša Žuržul ◽  
Bjørn Torger Stokke

In the present paper, we describe a potassium sensor based on DNA-aptamer functionalized hydrogel, that is capable of continuous label-free potassium ion (K+) monitoring with potential for in situ application. A hydrogel attached to the end of an optical fiber is designed with di-oligonucleotides grafted to the polymer network that may serve as network junctions in addition to the covalent crosslinks. Specific affinity toward K+ is based on exploiting a particular aptamer that exhibits conformational transition from single-stranded DNA to G-quadruplex formed by the di-oligonucleotide in the presence of K+. Integration of this aptamer into the hydrogel transforms the K+ specific conformational transition to a K+ concentration dependent deswelling of the hydrogel. High-resolution interferometry monitors changes in extent of swelling at 1 Hz and 2 nm resolution for the hydrogel matrix of 50 µm. The developed hydrogel-based biosensor displayed high selectivity for K+ ions in the concentration range up to 10 mM, in the presence of physiological concentrations of Na+. Additionally, the concentration dependent and selective K+ detection demonstrated in the artificial blood buffer environment, both at room and physiological temperatures, suggests substantial potential for practical applications such as monitoring of potassium ion concentration in blood levels in intensive care medicine.


Author(s):  
Antonia Perju ◽  
Nongnoot Wongkaew

AbstractLateral flow assays (LFAs) are the best-performing and best-known point-of-care tests worldwide. Over the last decade, they have experienced an increasing interest by researchers towards improving their analytical performance while maintaining their robust assay platform. Commercially, visual and optical detection strategies dominate, but it is especially the research on integrating electrochemical (EC) approaches that may have a chance to significantly improve an LFA’s performance that is needed in order to detect analytes reliably at lower concentrations than currently possible. In fact, EC-LFAs offer advantages in terms of quantitative determination, low-cost, high sensitivity, and even simple, label-free strategies. Here, the various configurations of EC-LFAs published are summarized and critically evaluated. In short, most of them rely on applying conventional transducers, e.g., screen-printed electrode, to ensure reliability of the assay, and additional advances are afforded by the beneficial features of nanomaterials. It is predicted that these will be further implemented in EC-LFAs as high-performance transducers. Considering the low cost of point-of-care devices, it becomes even more important to also identify strategies that efficiently integrate nanomaterials into EC-LFAs in a high-throughput manner while maintaining their favorable analytical performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Imam Uddin ◽  
Tyler C. Kilburn ◽  
Sara Z. Jamal ◽  
Craig L. Duvall ◽  
John S. Penn

AbstractDiabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity and retinal vein occlusion are potentially blinding conditions largely due to their respective neovascular components. The development of real-time in vivo molecular imaging methods, to assess levels of retinal neovascularization (NV), would greatly benefit patients afflicted with these conditions. mRNA hybridization techniques offer a potential method to image retinal NV. The success of these techniques hinges on the selection of a target mRNA whose tissue levels and spatial expression patterns correlate closely with disease burden. Using a model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR), we previously observed dramatic increases in retinal endoglin that localized to neovascular structures (NV), directly correlating with levels of neovascular pathology. Based on these findings, we have investigated Endoglin mRNA as a potential marker for imaging retinal NV in OIR mice. Also of critical importance, is the application of innovative technologies capable of detecting mRNAs in living systems with high sensitivity and specificity. To detect and visualize endoglin mRNA in OIR mice, we have designed and synthesized a novel imaging probe composed of short-hairpin anti-sense (AS) endoglin RNA coupled to a fluorophore and black hole quencher (AS-Eng shRNA). This assembly allows highly sensitive fluorescence emission upon hybridization of the AS-Eng shRNA to cellular endoglin mRNA. The AS-Eng shRNA is further conjugated to a diacyl-lipid (AS-Eng shRNA–lipid referred to as probe). The lipid moiety binds to serum albumin facilitating enhanced systemic circulation of the probe. OIR mice received intraperitoneal injections of AS-Eng shRNA–lipid. Ex vivo imaging of their retinas revealed specific endoglin mRNA dependent fluorescence superimposed on neovascular structures. Room air mice receiving AS-Eng shRNA–lipid and OIR mice receiving a non-sense control probe showed little fluorescence activity. In addition, we found that cells in neovascular lesions labelled with endoglin mRNA dependent fluorescence, co-labelled with the macrophage/microglia-associated marker IBA1. Others have shown that cells expressing macrophage/microglia markers associate with retinal neovascular structures in proportion to disease burden. Hence we propose that our probe may be used to image and to estimate the levels of retinal neovascular disease in real-time in living systems.


Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1363
Author(s):  
Binze Ma ◽  
Ao Ouyang ◽  
Juechen Zhong ◽  
Pavel A. Belov ◽  
Ravindra Kumar Sinha ◽  
...  

Sensing Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is an important issue for environmental monitoring, as the MC-LR is a common toxic pollutant found in freshwater bodies. The demand for sensitive detection method of MC-LR at low concentrations can be addressed by metasurface-based sensors, which are feasible and highly efficient. Here, we demonstrate an all-dielectric metasurface for sensing MC-LR. Its working principle is based on quasi-bound states in the continuum mode (QBIC), and it manifests a high-quality factor and high sensitivity. The dielectric metasurface can detect a small change in the refractive index of the surrounding environment with a quality factor of ~170 and a sensitivity of ~788 nm/RIU. MC-LR can be specifically identified in mixed water with a concentration limit of as low as 0.002 μg/L by a specific recognition technique for combined antigen and antibody. Furthermore, the demonstrated detection of MC-LR can be extended to the identification and monitoring of other analytes, such as viruses, and the designed dielectric metasurface can serve as a monitor platform with high sensitivity and high specific recognition capability.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Joon Lee ◽  
Srinivas Gandla ◽  
Byeongjae Lim ◽  
Sunju Kang ◽  
Sunyoung Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract Conformal and ultrathin coating of highly conductive PEDOT:PSS on hydrophobic uneven surfaces is essential for resistive-based pressure sensor applications. For this purpose, a water-based poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) solution was successfully exchanged to an organic solvent-based PEDOT:PSS solution without any aggregation or reduction in conductivity using the ultrafiltration method. Among various solvents, the ethanol (EtOH) solvent-exchanged PEDOT:PSS solution exhibited a contact angle of 34.67°, which is much lower than the value of 96.94° for the water-based PEDOT:PSS solution. The optimized EtOH-based PEDOT:PSS solution exhibited conformal and uniform coating, with ultrathin nanocoated films obtained on a hydrophobic pyramid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface. The fabricated pressure sensor showed high performances, such as high sensitivity (−21 kPa−1 in the low pressure regime up to 100 Pa), mechanical stability (over 10,000 cycles without any failure or cracks) and a fast response time (90 ms). Finally, the proposed pressure sensor was successfully demonstrated as a human blood pulse rate sensor and a spatial pressure sensor array for practical applications. The solvent exchange process using ultrafiltration for these applications can be utilized as a universal technique for improving the coating property (wettability) of conducting polymers as well as various other materials.


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