A wash-free and label-free colorimetric biosensor for naked-eye detection of aflatoxin B1 using G-quadruplex as the signal reporter.

Abstract

A wash-free and label-free colorimetric biosensor for the amplified detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has been constructed by the integration of an ingenious hairpin DNA probe with exonuclease III (Exo III)-assisted signal amplification. The presence of the AFB1 activates the continuous cleavage reactions by Exo III toward a hairpin probe, resulting in the autonomous accumulation of numerous free G-quadruplex sequences, which can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3 ,5,5 -tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H2O2 to produce a colorimetric response. The naked-eye biosensor is ultrasensitive, enabling the visual detection of trace amounts of AFB1 as low as 1\u202fpM without instrumentation. The sensor is robust and can work even when challenged with complex sample matrices such as peanut samples. With the advantages of simple operation, wash-free and label-free format, visible and intuitive output, and low cost, the naked-eye based colorimetric biosensor is expected to have potential applications for in-field detection of AFB1.