Evanescent Wave Optical-Fiber Aptasensor for Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Corn with Unprecedented Sensitivity
Zearalenone (ZEN) is a common mycotoxin pollutant found in agricultural products. Aptamers are attractive recognition biomolecules for the development of mycotoxin biosensors. Even though numerous aptasensors have been reported for the detection of ZEN in recent years, many of them suffer from probl...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-06-01
|
| Series: | Biosensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/12/7/438 |
| _version_ | 1797407272662466560 |
|---|---|
| author | Haixu Zhao Shang Ren Zhenzhe Wei Xinhui Lou |
| author_facet | Haixu Zhao Shang Ren Zhenzhe Wei Xinhui Lou |
| author_sort | Haixu Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Zearalenone (ZEN) is a common mycotoxin pollutant found in agricultural products. Aptamers are attractive recognition biomolecules for the development of mycotoxin biosensors. Even though numerous aptasensors have been reported for the detection of ZEN in recent years, many of them suffer from problems including low sensitivity, low specificity, tedious experimental steps, high-cost, and difficulty of automation. We report here the first evanescent wave optical-fiber aptasensor for the detection of ZEN with unprecedented sensitivity, high specificity, low cost, and easy of automation. In our aptasensor, a 40-nt ZEN-specific aptamer (8Z<sub>31</sub>) is covalently immobilized on the fiber. The 17-nt fluorophore Cy5.5-labeled complementary DNA strand and ZEN competitively bind with the aptamer immobilized on the fiber, enabling the signal-off fluorescent detection of ZEN. The coating of Tween 80 enhanced both the sensitivity and the reproducibility of the aptasensor. The sensor was able to detect ZEN spiked-in the corn flour extract with a semilog linear detection range of 10 pM-10 nM and a limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) of 18.4 ± 4.0 pM (equivalent to 29.3 ± 6.4 ng/kg). The LOD is more than 1000-fold lower than the maximum ZEN residue limits set by China (60 μg/kg) and EU (20 μg/kg). The sensor also has extremely high specificity and showed negligible cross-reactivity to other common mycotoxins. In addition, the sensor was able to be regenerated for 28 times, further decreasing its cost. Our sensor holds great potential for practical applications according to its multiple compelling features. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:39:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-de5d39feba404e19ab1b668f2514d5fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6374 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:39:53Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biosensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-de5d39feba404e19ab1b668f2514d5fe2023-12-03T14:43:55ZengMDPI AGBiosensors2079-63742022-06-0112743810.3390/bios12070438Evanescent Wave Optical-Fiber Aptasensor for Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Corn with Unprecedented SensitivityHaixu Zhao0Shang Ren1Zhenzhe Wei2Xinhui Lou3Department of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Xisanhuan North Road. 105, Beijing 100048, ChinaDepartment of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Xisanhuan North Road. 105, Beijing 100048, ChinaDepartment of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Xisanhuan North Road. 105, Beijing 100048, ChinaDepartment of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Xisanhuan North Road. 105, Beijing 100048, ChinaZearalenone (ZEN) is a common mycotoxin pollutant found in agricultural products. Aptamers are attractive recognition biomolecules for the development of mycotoxin biosensors. Even though numerous aptasensors have been reported for the detection of ZEN in recent years, many of them suffer from problems including low sensitivity, low specificity, tedious experimental steps, high-cost, and difficulty of automation. We report here the first evanescent wave optical-fiber aptasensor for the detection of ZEN with unprecedented sensitivity, high specificity, low cost, and easy of automation. In our aptasensor, a 40-nt ZEN-specific aptamer (8Z<sub>31</sub>) is covalently immobilized on the fiber. The 17-nt fluorophore Cy5.5-labeled complementary DNA strand and ZEN competitively bind with the aptamer immobilized on the fiber, enabling the signal-off fluorescent detection of ZEN. The coating of Tween 80 enhanced both the sensitivity and the reproducibility of the aptasensor. The sensor was able to detect ZEN spiked-in the corn flour extract with a semilog linear detection range of 10 pM-10 nM and a limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) of 18.4 ± 4.0 pM (equivalent to 29.3 ± 6.4 ng/kg). The LOD is more than 1000-fold lower than the maximum ZEN residue limits set by China (60 μg/kg) and EU (20 μg/kg). The sensor also has extremely high specificity and showed negligible cross-reactivity to other common mycotoxins. In addition, the sensor was able to be regenerated for 28 times, further decreasing its cost. Our sensor holds great potential for practical applications according to its multiple compelling features.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/12/7/438zearalenoneevanescent wave optical-fiber aptasensoraptamermycotoxin |
| spellingShingle | Haixu Zhao Shang Ren Zhenzhe Wei Xinhui Lou Evanescent Wave Optical-Fiber Aptasensor for Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Corn with Unprecedented Sensitivity Biosensors zearalenone evanescent wave optical-fiber aptasensor aptamer mycotoxin |
| title | Evanescent Wave Optical-Fiber Aptasensor for Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Corn with Unprecedented Sensitivity |
| title_full | Evanescent Wave Optical-Fiber Aptasensor for Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Corn with Unprecedented Sensitivity |
| title_fullStr | Evanescent Wave Optical-Fiber Aptasensor for Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Corn with Unprecedented Sensitivity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evanescent Wave Optical-Fiber Aptasensor for Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Corn with Unprecedented Sensitivity |
| title_short | Evanescent Wave Optical-Fiber Aptasensor for Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Corn with Unprecedented Sensitivity |
| title_sort | evanescent wave optical fiber aptasensor for rapid detection of zearalenone in corn with unprecedented sensitivity |
| topic | zearalenone evanescent wave optical-fiber aptasensor aptamer mycotoxin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/12/7/438 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT haixuzhao evanescentwaveopticalfiberaptasensorforrapiddetectionofzearalenoneincornwithunprecedentedsensitivity AT shangren evanescentwaveopticalfiberaptasensorforrapiddetectionofzearalenoneincornwithunprecedentedsensitivity AT zhenzhewei evanescentwaveopticalfiberaptasensorforrapiddetectionofzearalenoneincornwithunprecedentedsensitivity AT xinhuilou evanescentwaveopticalfiberaptasensorforrapiddetectionofzearalenoneincornwithunprecedentedsensitivity |