Development of portable CdS QDs screen-printed carbon electrode platform for electrochemiluminescence measurements and bioanalytical applications

Advances in aptamers, and application of mycotoxins detection: A review

Mycotoxin contamination in food products can easily cause serious health hazards and economic losses to human beings. How to accurately detect and effectively control mycotoxin contamination has become a global concern. Mycotoxins conventional detection techniques e.g; ELISA, HPLC, have limitations like, low sensitivity, high cost and time-consuming. Aptamer-based biosensing technology has the advantages of high sensitivity, high specificity, wide linear range, high feasibility, and non-destructiveness, which overcomes the shortcomings of conventional analysis techniques. This review summarizes the sequences of mycotoxin aptamers that have been reported so far. Based on the application of four classic POST-SELEX strategies, it also discusses the bioinformatics-assisted POST-SELEX technology in obtaining optimal aptamers. Furthermore, trends in the study of aptamer sequences and their binding mechanisms to targets is also discussed. The latest examples of aptasensor detection of mycotoxins are classified and summarized in detail. Newly developed dual-signal detection, dual-channel detection, multi-target detection and some types of single-signal detection combined with unique strategies or novel materials in recent years are focused. Finally, the challenges and prospects of aptamer sensors in the detection of mycotoxins are discussed. The development of aptamer biosensing technology provides a new approach with multiple advantages for on-site detection of mycotoxins. Although aptamer biosensing shows great development potential, still some challenges and difficulties are there in practical applications. Future research need high focus on the practical applications of aptasensors and the development of convenient and highly automated aptamers. This may lead to the transition of aptamer biosensing technology from laboratory to commercialization.

Microfluidic platforms integrated with nano-sensors for point-of-care bioanalysis

Microfluidic technology provides a portable, cost-effective, and versatile tool for point-of-care (POC) bioanalysis because of its associated advantages such as fast analysis, low volumes of reagent consumption, and high portability. Along with microfluidics, the application of nanomaterials in biosensing has attracted lots of attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties for enhanced signal modulation such as signal amplification and signal transduction for POC bioanalysis. Hence, an enormous number of microfluidic devices integrated with nano-sensors have been developed for POC bioanalysis targeting low-resource settings. Herein, we review recent advances in POC bioanalysis on nano-sensor-based microfluidic platforms. We first briefly summarized the different types of cost-effective microfluidic platforms, followed by a concise introduction to nanomaterial-based biosensors. Then, we highlighted the application of microfluidic platforms integrated with nano-sensors for POC bioanalysis. Finally, we discussed the current limitations and perspective trends of the nano-sensor-based microfluidic platforms for POC bioanalysis.

Enzymes Encapsulated within Alginate Hydrogels: Bioelectrocatalysis and Electrochemiluminescence Applications

A simple procedure to incorporate enzymes (horseradish peroxidase, HRP, and lactate oxidase, LOx) within alginate hydrogels is reported with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) used to detect the enzymatic reactions with the corresponding substrates. First, HRP and LOx were successfully immobilized into CaCO3 microspheres, followed by the electrostatic layer-by-layer deposition of a nanoshell onto the microspheres, and finally by their dispersion into alginate solution. The as-prepared dispersion was drop cast onto the glassy carbon electrodes and cross-linked by the external and internal gelation methods using Ca2+ cations. The enzymes encapsulated within the alginate hydrogels were characterized using cyclic voltammetry and kinetic studies performed using ECL. The results showed that the enzymatic activity was significantly maintained as a result of the immobilization, with values of the apparent Michaelis-Menten constants estimated as 7.71 ± 0.62 and 8.41 ± 0.43 μM, for HRP and LOx, respectively. The proposed biosensors showed good stability and repeatability with an estimated limit of detection of 5.38 ± 0.05 and 0.50 ± 0.03 μM for hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid, respectively. The as-prepared enzymes encapsulated within the alginate hydrogels showed good stability up to 28 days from their preparation. The sensitivity and selectivity of the enzymes encapsulated within the alginate hydrogels were tested in real matrices (HRP, hydrogen peroxide, in contact lens solution; LOx, lactic acid in artificial sweat) showing the sensitivity of the ECL detection methods for the detection of hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid in real samples.

A CdSe@CdS quantum dots based electrochemiluminescence aptasensor for sensitive detection of ochratoxin A

In this work, a CdSe@CdS quantum dots (QDs) based label-free electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor was developed for the specific and sensitive detection of ochratoxin A (OTA). Chitosan (CHI) could immobilize abundant QDs on the surface of an Au electrode as the luminescent nanomaterials. Glutaraldehyde was used as the crosslinking agent for coupling a large number of OTA aptamers. Thanks to the excellent stability, good biocompatibility, and strong ECL intensity of CdSe@CdS QDs, as well as the quick reactions of the generated SO₄•- in the electrolyte, strong ECL signals were measured. Because of the specific recognition of aptamer toward OTA, the reduced ECL signals caused by OTA in the samples were recorded for quantify the content of OTA. After optimizing a series of crucial conditions, the ECL aptasensor displayed superior sensitivity for OTA with a detection limit of 0.89 ng/mL and a wide linear concentration range of 1-100 ng/mL. The practicability and viability were verified through the rapid and facile analysis of OTA in real Lily and Rhubarb samples with recovery rates (n = 3) of 98.1-105.6% and 97.3-101.5%, respectively. The newly-developed QDs-based ECL aptasensor provided a new universal analytical tool for more mycotoxins in safety assessment of foods and feeds, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnostics.

Electrochemical strategies for the detection of cTnI

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the main cause of death from cardiovascular diseases. Thus, early diagnosis of AMI is essential for the treatment of irreversible damage from myocardial infarction. Traditional electrocardiograms (ECG) cannot meet the specific detection of AMI. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is the main biomarker for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction, and the detection of cTnI content has become particularly important. In this review, we introduced and compared the advantages and disadvantages of various cTnI detection methods. We focused on the analysis and comparison of the main indicators and limitations of various cTnI biosensors, including the detection range, detection limit, specificity, repeatability, and stability. In particular, we pay more attention to the application and development of electrochemical biosensors in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases based on different biological components. The application of electrochemical microfluidic chips for cTnI was also briefly introduced in this review. Finally, this review also briefly discusses the unresolved challenges of electrochemical detection and the expectations for improvement in the detection of cTnI biosensing in the future.