Rapid and sensitive determination of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by using a glassy carbon electrode modified with gold nanoparticles and aptamer-imprinted polydopamine

Vancomycin-bacterial imprinted polymer hybrid for viable Staphylococcus aureus highly efficient capture, photothermal inactivation, and sensitive detection

To facilitate the capture, inactivation, and detection of viable Staphylococcus aureus (SA) in food, a vancomycin (Van)-bacterial imprinted polymers (BIPs) hybrid receptor was fabricated by introducing Van into SA-imprinted polydopamine (PDA) via oriented surface imprinting. Taking advantage of the dual recognition arising from Van's affinity for peptidoglycan and BIPs' imprinting effect on SA, the Van-BIPs hybrid exhibited better capture performance than Van or BIPs alone. Leveraging the photothermal effect of PDA, the captured SA could be in situ lysed within 5 min under near-infrared irradiation, causing the release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from SA. Using ATP as biomarker, as low as 13.7 CFU/mL of viable SA was able to be detected within 38 min by integrating Van-BIPs hybrid with ATP-bioluminescence assay. Spiked food samples were also successfully analyzed with the recoveries of 85.71 %-106.11 %. The Van-BIPs hybrid might offer a promising tool to control SA in food industries.

Innovations in aptamer-based biosensors for detection of pathogenic bacteria: Recent advances and perspective

The rapid and accurate detection of pathogenic bacteria is a pressing concern in the fields of public health, food safety, and environmental monitoring. However, traditional methods often prove to be slow and difficult to quantify accurately. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop advanced methods that enable rapid detection which is sensitive and inexpensive. Aptamers, which are short nucleic acid sequences derived through a process called systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), offer a promising alternative due to their unique binding characteristics. These properties confer several advantages over traditional antibodies, making aptamers effective and versatile bioreceptors for pathogen detection. Recent advancements have led to the development of various aptamer-based biosensors utilizing diverse signaling strategies, including optical, electrochemical, mass-based, paper-based and microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) methods. The integration of nanomaterials with aptamer technology has further enhanced biosensor performance by improving sensitivity and enabling real-time monitoring of bacterial contamination. In this review, the focus is on current developments in aptamer-based biosensors and their potential applications in clinical diagnostics, food safety and environmental monitoring. As research progresses, the customization of aptamer sequences for specific targets is expected to yield tailored diagnostic solutions, ultimately improving patient outcomes and public health responses. The continued exploration of aptamer technology marks a significant advancement in methodologies for detecting pathogenic bacteria, highlighting not only the promise of aptamers as effective detection tools but also the critical need for multidisciplinary collaboration, integrating molecular biology, materials science, and microfluidics, to overcome challenges in this field.

Aptamer-molecularly imprinted polymer sensors for the detection of bacteria in water

Bacteria pose a significant threat to human health as they can cause diseases and outbreaks; therefore rapid, easy, and specific detection of bacteria in a short time is crucial. Various methods such as polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay have been developed for bacteria detection. However, most of these methods require sample preparation, trained personnel, and 2-4 days for identification. In this study, an electrochemical sensor has been developed in which a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) and aptamer were used together as a bioreceptor for the multiplexed detection of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Non-Faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was employed to assess bacterial detection. Sensor performance was assessed in buffer solution, deionized water and spiked tap water. Aptamer-molecularly imprinted polymer (Apta-MIP) based electrochemical sensors demonstrate high sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of S. aureus and E. coli, with limits of detection of 4 CFU/mL and 2 CFU/mL, respectively. Additionally, these sensors exhibited a broad dynamic range from 1 CFU/mL to 108 CFU/mL. The Apta-MIPs performance surpasses those obtained for Aptasensors alone and MIPs alone, demonstrating the high efficiency of the double recognition effect that originates from the affinity between aptamer and bacteria and target-specific cavities on the polymer. This is the first study in which aptamers and imprinted polymers were used as a hybrid bioreceptors for multiplexed detection of bacteria. The Apta-MIP sensors produced in this study can be used as a point-of-care diagnostic tool for bacteria-related diseases and test of water quality.

Nanoparticle-Enhanced Acoustic Wave Biosensor Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Food

A biosensor was designed for detecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) bacteria in whole milk samples. The sensing layer involved the antifouling linking molecule 3-(2-mercaptoethanoxy)propanoic acid (HS-MEG-COOH), which was covalently linked to an aptamer for binding P. aeruginosa. The aptasensor uses the thickness shear mode (TSM) system for mass-sensitive acoustic sensing of the bacterium. High concentrations (105 CFU mL-1) of nonspecific bacteria, E. coli, S. aureus, and L. acidophilus, were tested with the aptasensor and caused negligible frequency shifts compared to P. aeruginosa. The aptasensor has high selectivity for P. aeruginosa, with an extrapolated limit of detection (LOD) of 86 CFU mL-1 in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and 157 CFU mL-1 in milk. To improve the sensitivity of the sensor, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were functionalized with the same aptamer for P. aeruginosa and flowed through the sensor following bacteria, reducing the extrapolated LOD to 68 CFU mL-1 in PBS and 46 CFU mL-1 in milk. The frequency variations in the aptasensor are proportional to various concentrations of P. aeruginosa (102-105 CFU mL-1) with and without AuNPs, respectively. The low and rapid mass-sensitive detection demonstrates the ability of the aptasensor to quantitatively identify bacterial contamination in buffer and milk.

Advances in Bioreceptor Layer Engineering in Nanomaterial-based Sensing of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and its Metabolites

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a pathogen that infects wounds and burns and causes severe infections in immunocompromised humans. The high virulence, the rise of antibiotic-resistant strains, and the easy transmissibility of P. aeruginosa necessitate its fast detection and control. The gold standard for detecting P. aeruginosa, the plate culture method, though reliable, takes several days to complete. Therefore, developing accurate, rapid, and easy-to-use diagnostic tools for P. aeruginosa is highly desirable. Nanomaterial-based biosensors are at the forefront of detecting P. aeruginosa and its secondary metabolites. This review summarises the biorecognition elements, biomarkers, immobilisation strategies, and current state-of-the-art biosensors for P. aeruginosa. The review highlights the underlying principles of bioreceptor layer engineering and the design of optical, electrochemical, mass-based, and thermal biosensors based on nanomaterials. The advantages and disadvantages of these biosensors and their future point-of-care applications are also discussed. This review outlines significant advancements in biosensors and sensors for detecting P. aeruginosa and its metabolites. Research efforts have identified biorecognition elements specific and selective towards P. aeruginosa. The stability, ease of preparation, cost-effectiveness, and integration of these biorecognition elements onto transducers are pivotal for their application in biosensors and sensors. At the same time, when developing sensors for clinically significant analytes such as P. aeruginosa, virulence factors need to be addressed, such as the sensor's sensitivity, reliability, and response time in samples obtained from patients. The point-of-care applicability of the developed sensor may be an added advantage since it enables onsite determination. In this context, optical methods developed for P. aeruginosa offer promising potential.

A molecularly imprinted electrochemical aptasensor-based dual recognition elements for selective detection of dexamethasone

In this work, a novel molecularly imprinted electrochemical aptasensor (MIEAS) was developed for highly selective detection of dexamethasone (Dex) in natural water environment. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified by nitrogen doped molybdenum carbide-graphene (N-Mo2C-Gr) were employed as the supports, where N-Mo2C-Gr improved the conductivity of the electrode and provided a larger specific surface area to polymerize more active substances. Using Dex as template molecule, o-phenylenediamine (o-PD) as the chemical functional monomer and aptamer as the biofunctional monomer, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membrane with Dex specific recognition sites was formed by electropolymerization. Due to the synergistic effect of MIP and aptamers, the as-prepared MIEAS exhibited a decent linear relationship to Dex detection within a relatively wide range of 10-13 - 10-5 M, and the detection limit was 1.79 × 10-14 M. The recovery in actual water and tablet samples is satisfactory, which confirms the potential application prospects of this sensor in the determination of Dex.

Engineering of dual recognition functional aptamer-molecularly imprinted polymeric solid-phase microextraction for detecting of 17β-estradiol in meat samples

In this study, an enhanced selective recognition strategy was employed to construct a novel solid-phase microextraction fiber coating for the detection of 17β-estradiol, characterized by the combination of aptamer biorecognition and molecularly imprinted polymer recognition. Benefiting from the combination of molecularly imprinted and aptamer, aptamer-molecularly imprinted (Apt-MIP) fiber coating had synergistic recognition effect. The effects of pH, ion concentration, extraction time, desorption time and desorption solvent on the adsorption capacity of Apt-MIP were investigated. The adsorption of 17β-estradiol on Apt-MIP followed pseudo-second order kinetic model, and the Freundlich isotherm. The process was exothermic and thermodynamically spontaneous. Compared with polymers that only rely on imprinted recognition, non-imprinted recognition or aptamer affinity, Apt-MIP had the best recognition performance, which was 1.30-2.20 times that of these three materials. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity of Apt-MIP for 17β-estradiol was 885.36-1487.52 times than that of polyacrylate and polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzone commercial fiber coatings. Apt-MIP fiber coating had good stability and could be reused for more than 15 times. Apt-MIP solid-phase microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was successfully applied to the determination of 17β-estradiol in pork, chicken, fish and shrimp samples, with satisfactory recoveries of 79.61 %-105.70 % and low limits of detection (0.03 μg/kg). This work provides new perspectives and strategies for sample pretreatment techniques based on molecular imprinting technology and improves analytical performance.

Electrochemical aptasensors based on porous carbon derived from graphene oxide/ZIF-8 composites for the detection of Erwinia cypripedii

In this research, self-screening aptamer and MOFs-derived nanomaterial have been combined to construct electrochemical aptasensor for environmental detection. By utilizing the large specific surface area of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), ZIF-8 was grown in situ on surface of rGO, and the composites was pyrolyzed to obtain MOFs-derived porous carbon materials (rGO-NCZIF). Thanks to the synergistic effect between rGO and NCZIF, the complex exhibits remarkable characteristics, including a high electron transfer rate and electrocatalytic activity. In addition, the orderly arrangement of imidazole ligands within ZIF-8 facilitated the uniform doping of nitrogen elements into the porous carbon, thereby significantly enhancing its electrochemical performance. After carboxylation, rGO-NCZIF was functionalized with self-screening aptamer for fabricating electrochemical aptasensor, which can be used to detect Erwinia cypripedii, a kind of quarantine plant bacteria, with detection limit of 4.92 × 103 cfu/mL. Due to the simplicity and speed, the aptasensor is suitable for rapid customs inspection and quarantine. Additionally, the universality of this sensing strategy was verified through exosomes detection by changing the aptamer. The results indicated that the rGO-NCZIF-based electrochemical aptasensor had practical value in the environmental and medical fields.

Gold nanoparticles-based biosensors: pioneering solutions for bacterial and viral pathogen detection-a comprehensive review

Gold Nanoparticles (AuNPs) have gained significant attention in biosensor development due to their unique physical, chemical, and optical properties. When incorporated into biosensors, AuNPs offer several advantages, including a high surface area-to-volume ratio, excellent biocompatibility, ease of functionalization, and tunable optical properties. These properties make them ideal for the detection of various biomolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and bacterial and viral biomarkers. Traditional methods for detecting bacteria and viruses, such as RT-PCR and ELISA, often suffer from complexities, time consumption, and labor intensiveness. Consequently, researchers are continuously exploring novel devices to address these limitations and effectively detect a diverse array of infectious pathogenic microorganisms. In light of these challenges, nanotechnology has been instrumental in refining the architecture and performance of biosensors. By leveraging advancements in nanomaterials and strategies of biosensor fabrication the sensitivity and specificity of biosensors can be enhanced, enabling more precise detection of pathogenic bacteria and viruses. This review explores the versatility of AuNPs in detecting a variety of biomolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and bacterial and viral biomarkers. Furthermore, it evaluates recent advancements in AuNPs-based biosensors for the detection of pathogens, utilizing techniques such as optical biosensors, lateral flow immunoassays, colorimetric immunosensors, electrochemical biosensors, and fluorescence nanobiosensors. Additionally, the study discusses the existing challenges in the field and proposes future directions to improve AuNPs-based biosensors, with a focus on enhancing sensitivity, selectivity, and their utility in clinical and diagnostic applications.

Portable Saliva Sensor Based on Dual Recognition Elements for Detection of Caries Pathogenic Bacteria

Dental caries is one of the most common diseases affecting more than 2 billion people's health worldwide. In a clinical setting, it is challenging to predict and proactively guard against dental cavities prior to receiving a confirmed diagnosis. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) in saliva has been recognized as the main causative bacterial agent that causes dental caries. High sensitivity, good selectivity, and a wide detection range are incredibly important factors to affect S. mutans detection in practical applications. In this study, we present a portable saliva biosensor designed for the early detection of S. mutans with the potential to predict the occurrence of dental cavities. The biosensor was fabricated using a S. mutans-specific DNA aptamer and S. mutans-imprinted polymers. Methylene blue was utilized as a redox probe in the sensor to generate current signals for analysis. When S. mutans enters complementarily S. mutans cavities, it blocks electron transfer between methylene blue and the electrode, resulting in decreases in the reduction current signal. The signal variations are associated with S. mutans concentrations that are useful for quantitative analysis. The linear detection range of S. mutans is 102-109 cfu mL-1, which covers the critical concentration of high caries risk. The biosensor exhibited excellent selectivity toward S. mutans in the presence of other common oral bacteria. The biosensor's wide detection range, excellent selectivity, and low limit of detection (2.6 cfu mL-1) are attributed to the synergistic effect of aptamer and S. mutans-imprinted polymers. The sensor demonstrates the potential to prevent dental caries.

Research progress on preparation methods and sensing applications of molecularly imprinted polymer-aptamer dual recognition elements

The aptamer (Apt) and the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), as effective substitutes for antibodies, have received widespread attention from researchers because of their creation. However, the low stability of Apt in harsh detection environment and the poor specificity of MIP have hindered their development. Therefore, some researchers have attempted to combine MIP with Apt to explore whether the effect of "1 + 1 > 2" can be achieved. Since its first report in 2013, MIP-Apt dual recognition elements have become a highly focused research direction in the fields of biology and chemistry. MIP-Apt dual recognition elements not only possess the high specificity of Apt and the high stability of MIP in harsh detection environment, but also have high sensitivity and affinity. They have been successfully applied in medical diagnosis, food safety, and environmental monitoring fields. This article provides a systematic overview of three preparation methods for MIP-Apt dual recognition elements and their application in eight different types of sensors. It also provides effective insights into the problems and development directions faced by MIP-Apt dual recognition elements.

Recent advances in electrochemical aptasensors and genosensors for the detection of pathogens

In recent years, pathogenic microorganisms have caused significant mortality rates and antibiotic resistance and triggered exorbitant healthcare costs. These pathogens often have high transmission rates within human populations. Rapid diagnosis is crucial in controlling and reducing the spread of pathogenic infections. The diagnostic methods currently used against individuals infected with these pathogens include relying on outward symptoms, immunological-based and, some biomolecular ones, which mainly have limitations such as diagnostic errors, time-consuming processes, and high-cost platforms. Electrochemical aptasensors and genosensors have emerged as promising diagnostic tools for rapid, accurate, and cost-effective pathogen detection. These bio-electrochemical platforms have been optimized for diagnostic purposes by incorporating advanced materials (mainly nanomaterials), biomolecular technologies, and innovative designs. This review classifies electrochemical aptasensors and genosensors developed between 2021 and 2023 based on their use of different nanomaterials, such as gold-based, carbon-based, and others that employed other innovative assemblies without the use of nanomaterials. Inspecting the diagnostic features of various sensing platforms against pathogenic analytes can identify research gaps and open new avenues for exploration.

Diagnosis and Therapeutic Strategies Based on Nucleic Acid Aptamers Selected against Pseudomonas aeruginosa: The Challenge of Cystic Fibrosis

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rapidly spreading global health problem, and approximately five million deaths associated with AMR pathogens were identified prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has developed increasing AMR, and in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) colonized by this bacterium, rare phenotypes have emerged that complicate the diagnosis and treatment of the hosts, in addition to multiple associated "epidemic strains" with high morbidities and mortalities. The conjugation of aptamers with fluorochromes or nanostructures has allowed the design of new identification strategies for Pseudomonas aeruginosa with detection limits of up to 1 cell ⋅ mL-1 , and the synergy of aptamers with antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides and nanostructures has exhibited promising therapeutic qualities. Some selected aptamers against this bacterium have shown intrinsic antimicrobial activity. However, these aptamers have been poorly evaluated in clinical isolates and have shown decreased interactions for CF isolates, demonstrating, in these cases, uncommon phenotypes resulting from the selective qualities of this disease as well as the great adaptive capacity of the pathogen. Therefore, finding an aptamer or set of aptamers that have the ability to recognize strange phenotypes of this bacillus is crucial in the battle against AMR.

Development of an electrochemical biosensor utilizing a combined aptamer and MIP strategy for the detection of the food allergen lysozyme

This study aims to develop a MIP-Apt-based electrochemical biosensor for the sensitive and selective determination of Lysozyme (Lyz), a food allergen. For the development of the sensor, in the first stage, modifications were made to the screen-printed electrode (SPE) surface with graphene oxide (GO) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to increase conductivity and surface area. The advantages of using aptamer (Apt) and molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology were combined in a single biointerface in the prepared sensing tool. Surface characterization of the biosensor was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), contact angle measurements, cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A wide linear range from 0.001 to 100 pM was obtained under optimized conditions for the determination of Lyz detection using the proposed MIP-Apt sensing strategy. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for Lyz were 3.67 fM and 12 fM, respectively. This biosensor displays high selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and long storage stability towards Lyz detection. The results show that a sensitive and selective sensor fabrication is achieved compared with existing methods.

Unlocking the Potential of Molecularly Imprinted Polydopamine in Sensing Applications

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic receptors that mimic the specificity of biological antibody-antigen interactions. By using a "lock and key" process, MIPs selectively bind to target molecules that were used as templates during polymerization. While MIPs are typically prepared using conventional monomers, such as methacrylic acid and acrylamide, contemporary advancements have pivoted towards the functional potential of dopamine as a novel monomer. The overreaching goal of the proposed review is to fully unlock the potential of molecularly imprinted polydopamine (MIPda) within the realm of cutting-edge sensing applications. This review embarks by shedding light on the intricate tapestry of materials harnessed in the meticulous crafting of MIPda, endowing them with tailored properties. Moreover, we will cover the diverse sensing applications of MIPda, including its use in the detection of ions, small molecules, epitopes, proteins, viruses, and bacteria. In addition, the main synthesis methods of MIPda, including self-polymerization and electropolymerization, will be thoroughly examined. Finally, we will examine the challenges and drawbacks associated with this research field, as well as the prospects for future developments. In its entirety, this review stands as a resolute guiding compass, illuminating the path for researchers and connoisseurs alike.

Recent Advances in Polymer-Based Biosensors for Food Safety Detection

The excessive use of pesticides and drugs, coupled with environmental pollution, has resulted in the persistence of contaminants on food. These pollutants tend to accumulate in humans through the food chain, posing a significant threat to human health. Therefore, it is crucial to develop rapid, low-cost, portable, and on-site biosensors for detecting food contaminants. Among various biosensors, polymer-based biosensors have emerged as promising probes for detection of food contaminants in recent years, due to their various functions such as target binding, enrichment, and simple signal reading. This paper aims to discuss the characteristics of five types of food pollutants-heavy metals, pesticide residues, pathogenic bacteria, allergens, and antibiotics-and their adverse effects on human health. Additionally, this paper focuses on the principle of polymer-based biosensors and their latest applications in detecting these five types of food contaminants in actual food samples. Furthermore, this review briefly examines the future prospects and challenges of biosensors for food safety detection. The insights provided in this review will facilitate the development of biosensors for food safety detection.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Electrochemical Sensors for the Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases

The appearance of biological molecules, so-called biomarkers in body fluids at abnormal concentrations, is considered a good tool for detecting disease. Biomarkers are usually looked for in the most common body fluids, such as blood, nasopharyngeal fluids, urine, tears, sweat, etc. Even with significant advances in diagnostic technology, many patients with suspected infections receive empiric antimicrobial therapy rather than appropriate treatment, which is driven by rapid identification of the infectious agent, leading to increased antimicrobial resistance. To positively impact healthcare, new tests are needed that are pathogen-specific, easy to use, and produce results quickly. Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based biosensors can achieve these general goals and have enormous potential for disease detection. This article aimed to overview recent articles dedicated to electrochemical sensors modified with MIP to detect protein-based biomarkers of certain infectious diseases in human beings, particularly the biomarkers of infectious diseases, such as HIV-1, COVID-19, Dengue virus, and others. Some biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) found in blood tests, are not specific for a particular disease but are used to identify any inflammation process in the body and are also under consideration in this review. Other biomarkers are specific to a particular disease, e.g., SARS-CoV-2-S spike glycoprotein. This article analyzes the development of electrochemical sensors using molecular imprinting technology and the used materials' influence. The research methods, the application of different electrodes, the influence of the polymers, and the established detection limits are reviewed and compared.

Sandwich-Type Electrochemical Aptasensor for Highly Sensitive and Selective Detection of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Bacteria Using a Dual Signal Amplification Strategy

An electrochemical aptasensor developed to realize the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) bacteria based on a signal amplification strategy. The carbon screen-printed electrode (CSPE) surface was modified by MIL-101(Cr)/Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), which significantly increased the effective surface area of the electrode, thus resulting in further F23 aptamer immobilization at the surface of the modified electrode. As a result, the P. aeruginosa can be efficiently captured onto the surface of the aptasensor. Moreover, aptamer immobilized on the two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride complex with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs/c-g-C₃N₄/Apt) was used as an electrochemical signal label, connected to P. aeruginosa bacteria at the modified electrode. This strategy increased the aptamer surface density and the sensitivity for detecting P. aeruginosa. Also, the resultant material was thoroughly characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis techniques. A highly sensitive voltammetric aptasensor for P. aeruginosa detection was obtained via this strategy at the limit of detection of 1 Colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL (σ = 3). Therefore, this proposed strategy with dual signal amplification can be a promising platform for simple, practical, reliable, and sensitive method for P. aeruginosa.

An innovative dual recognition aptasensor for specific detection of Staphylococcus aureus based on Au/Fe3O4 binary hybrid

Pathogenic bacteria cause disease outbreaks and threaten human health, prompting the research on advanced detection assays. Herein, we developed a selective molecular imprinted aptasensor for sensitive and prompt quantitation of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. The aptasensor was constructed by immobilization of aptamer on gold nanoparticles modified magnetic nanoparticles (apt-AuNPs@ Fe₃O₄). A functional monomer (o-phenylenediamine, o-phen) was electro-polymerized on the surface of the as-synthesized nanocomposite in the presence of a template (S. aureus). After removing S. aureus, the formed imprinted sites were available to extract pathogenic bacteria from complicated matrices. The surface morphology of the as-fabricated nanocomposites was characterized using different spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. Moreover, we thoroughly evaluated factors affecting the synthesis and determination procedures. The molecular imprinted aptasensor exhibited a wide linear range of 10¹–10⁷ CFU mL⁻¹ with a Limit of Detection, LOD (signal to noise = 3) of 1 CFU mL⁻¹. The aptasensor detected S. aureus in milk, conduit water, and apple juice samples with good recoveries % and satisfactory relative standard deviations (RSDs %) values.

Non-autofluorescence Detection of H5N1 Virus Using Photochemical Aptamer Sensors Based on Persistent Luminescent Nanoparticles

Fluorescence sensing is limited in practical applications owing to multiple autofluorescent substances in complex biological samples such as serum. In this paper, the luminescence decay effect of persistent luminescent nanoparticles (PLNPs) was used to avoid the interference of autofluorescence in complex biological samples, and a non-autofluorescence molecularly imprinted polymer aptamer sensor (MIP-aptasensor) was designed to detect H5N1 virus. The proposed MIP-aptasensor consists of a magnetic MIP and aptamer-functionalized persistent luminescent nanoparticle Zn₂GeO₄:Mn²⁺-H5N1 aptamer (ZGO-H5N1 Apt). Upon simultaneous recognition of H5N1 virus, strong persistent luminescent signal changes were produced. Using the unique luminescent characteristics of PLNPs and the high selectivity of imprinted polymers and aptamers, the designed MIP-aptasensor effectively eliminates the autofluorescence background interference of serum samples and realizes the non-autofluorescence detection of H5N1 virus with high sensitivity (a limit of detection of 0.0128 HAU mL^-1, 1.16 fM) and selectivity (the imprinting factor for the target H5N1 virus was 6.72). This tool provides a strategy for the design of sensors and their application in complex biological samples.

Review—Electrochemical Aptasensor for Pathogenic Bacteria Detection

Pathogenic bacteria are a major public cause of foodborne and waterborne infections and are currently among the most serious public health threats. Conventional diagnostic techniques for bacteria, including plate culturing, the polymerase chain reaction, and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, have many limitations, such as time consumption, high rates of false results, and complex instrument requirements. Aptamer-based electrochemical biosensors for bacteria address several of these issues and are promising for bacterial detection. This review discusses the current advances in electrochemical aptasensors for pathogenic bacteria with regard to the sensing performance with various specific aptamers for different types of bacteria. The advantages and disadvantages of these electrochemical aptasensors were investigated with the aim of promoting the development and commercialization of electrochemical aptasensors for the point-of-care detection of bacteria.

Molecularly Imprinting–Aptamer Techniques and Their Applications in Molecular Recognition

Molecular imprinting–aptamer techniques exhibit the advantages of molecular imprinting and aptamer technology. Hybrids of molecularly imprinted polymer–aptamer (MIP–aptamer) prepared by this technique have higher stability, binding affinity and superior selectivity than conventional molecularly imprinted polymers or aptamers. In recent years, molecular imprinting–aptamer technologies have attracted considerable interest for the selective recognition of target molecules in complex sample matrices and have been used in molecular recognition such as antibiotics, proteins, viruses and pesticides. This review introduced the development of molecular imprinting–aptamer-combining technologies and summarized the mechanism of MIP–aptamer formation. Meanwhile, we discussed the challenges in preparing MIP–aptamer. Finally, we summarized the application of MIP–aptamer to the molecular recognition in disease diagnosis, environmental analysis, food safety and other fields.

Electrochemical biosensor with aptamer/porous platinum nanoparticle on round-type micro-gap electrode for saxitoxin detection in fresh water

Cyanotoxins are toxins produced by cyanobacteria; they negatively impact water resources used by humans and disrupt ecosystems worldwide. Among cyanotoxins, saxitoxin (STX) is a small molecule that causes paralysis in humans and contamination in freshwater resources. To monitor low concentration of STX levels, a sensitive and high fidelity detection system is required. In this study, a round-type micro-gap electrode (RMGE) was fabricated that provides the high signal fidelity for STX detection in real freshwater sample. The RMGE has the 15 pairs of identical electrode wire length between gap that gives the high signal fidelity. In addition, the sensitivity for STX detection was improved by introducing the porous platinum nanoparticle (pPtNP) that enahced the electrochemical sensitivity and the STX aptamer was used as the bioprobe. An electrochemical measurement method (square wave voltammetry (SWV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)) was introduced to construct STX biosensor. To evaluate the biosensor performance, the limit of detection (LOD) and selectivity test were performed on real freshwater samples. The biosensor demonstrated high selectivity even in freshwater samples over a wide linear concentration range of 10 pg/mL to 1 μg/mL and a detection limit of 4.669 pg/mL. These results suggest that the designed biosensor shows a wide range of possibilities for the detection of toxicants in freshwater that provide the new direction to the biosensor electrode design.

Simple electrochemical detection of Listeria monocytogenes based on a surface-imprinted polymer-modified electrode

Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is a foodborne pathogen, and it can pose a risk of serious diseases to the human health. Hence, the development of an effective method for the detection of LM is very important. In this study, by selecting LM as the template and 3-thiopheneacetic acid as the functional monomer, an LM-imprinted polymer (LIP)-based sensor was proposed for the first time to detect LM by electropolymerizing TPA on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface in the presence of LM. After the removal of the LM template from the electrode surface, the obtained sensor was denoted as LIP/GCE, which could effectively recognize and capture LM cells. By using [Fe(CN)₆]^4-/3- as the probe, its peak current at LIP/GCE could be restricted when the LM cells were captured into the imprinted cavity of LIP/GCE, and the current value decreased with an increase in the LM concentration. Serious conditions were optimized for achieving highly sensitive detection, and a low detection limit (6 CFU mL^-1) coupled with a wide linear range (10 to 10⁶ CFU mL^-1) was obtained for LM. Finally, the inter-electrode reproducibility, stability, selectivity, and applicability of LIP/GCE were also investigated, and the obtained results were acceptable.