A Novel Approach for Designing Electrochemical Aptamer-Based Biosensor for Ultrasensitive Detection of Zearalenone As a Prevalent Estrogenic Mycotoxin Publisher Pubmed



Hassani S^{1, 2} ; Maghsoudi AS^{1, 2} ; Akmal MR³ ; Shoeibi S⁴ ; Ghadipasha F^{1, 2} ; Mousavi T^{1, 2} ; Ganjali MR^{3, 5} ; Hosseini RL^{1, 2} ; Abdollahi M^{1, 2}
Source: Current Medicinal Chemistry Published:2022

Abstract

Background: Zearalenone is a well-known estrogenic mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species, a serious threat to the agricultural and food industries worldwide. Zearalenone, with its known metabolites, is a biomarker of exposure to certain fungi, pri-marily through food. It has considerable toxic effects on biological systems due to its car-cinogenicity, mutagenicity, renal toxicity, teratogenicity, and immunotoxicity. Introduction: This study aims to design a simple, quick, precise, and cost-effective method on a biosensor platform to evaluate the low levels of this toxin in foodstuffs and agricultural products. Methods: An aptamer-based electrochemical biosensor was introduced that utilizes screen-printed gold electrodes instead of conventional electrodes. The electrodeposition process was employed to develop a gold nanoparticle-modified surface to enhance the electroactive surface area. Thiolated aptamers were immobilized on the surface of gold nanoparticles, and subsequently, the blocker and analyte were added to the modified sur-face. In the presence of a redox probe, electrochemical characterization of differential pulse voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to investigate the various stages of aptasensor fabrication. Results: The proposed aptasensor for zearalenone concentration had a wide linear dynam-ic range covering the 0.5 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL with a 0.14 pg/mL detection limit. More-over, this aptasensor had high specificity so that a non-specific analyte cannot negatively affect the selectivity of the aptasensor. Conclusion: Overall, due to its simple design, high sensitivity, and fast performance, this aptasensor showed a high potential for assessing zearalenone in real samples, providing a clear perspective for designing a portable and cost-effective device. © 2022 Bentham Science Publishers.