Cocaine detection by structure-switch aptamer-based capillary zone electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis-based immunoassay and aptamer assay: A review

Over the last two decades, the group of techniques called affinity probe CE has been widely used for the detection and the determination of several types of biomolecules with high sensitivity. These techniques combine the low sample consumption and high separation power of CE with the selectivity of the probe to the target molecule. The assays can be defined according to the type of probe used: CE immunoassays, with an antibody as the probe, or aptamer-based CE, with an aptamer as the probe. Immunoassays are generally divided into homogeneous and heterogeneous groups, and homogeneous variant can be further performed in competitive or noncompetitive formats. Interacting partners are free in solution at homogeneous assay, as opposed to heterogeneous analyses, where one of them is immobilized onto a solid support. Highly sensitive fluorescence, chemiluminescence or electrochemical detections were typically used in this type of study. The use of the aptamers as probes has several advantages over antibodies such as shorter generation time, higher thermal stability, lower price, and lower variability. The aptamer-based CE technique was in practice utilized for the determination of proteins in biological fluids and environmentally or clinically important small molecules. Both techniques were also transferred to microchip. This review is focused on theoretical principles of these techniques and a summary of their applications in research.

An aptamer assay for aflatoxin B1 detection using Mg2+ mediated free zone capillary electrophoresis coupled with laser induced fluorescence

We described an aptamer based and Mg²⁺ mediated free zone capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) assay for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) detection. This CE-LIF assay applied an anti-AFB1 aptamer with a single fluorescein (FAM) label at 5' end and a short complementary DNA (cDNA). In the absence of AFB1, the cDNA hybridized with the aptamer probe and formed a duplex DNA. The use of running buffer containing MgCl₂ allowed good isolation of the duplex DNA from the single stranded DNA in CE. We found introducing a biotin label on the cDNA further improved the isolation. When AFB1 existed in sample solution, the aptamer probe bound with AFB1, dissociating from the duplex DNA. Thus, the duplex DNA peak decreased, while the aptamer probe peak increased during CE-LIF analysis. We achieved detection of AFB1 by measuring the aptamer probe peak. The length of cDNA, the ratio of aptamer to cDNA, and the concentration of MgCl₂ in sample buffer and separation buffer had great effect on the aptamer based CE-LIF assay. Under optimized conditions, the detection limit of AFB1 was 0.2 nM, and the dynamic range was from 0.2 nM to 500 nM. Limit of quantitation was 0.5 nM. This CE-LIF assay enabled detection of AFB1 spiked in diluted human serum, diluted human urine, and corn flour samples. This assay exhibits potential for wide application as it integrates the rapidity, high sensitivity, low sample consumption of CE-LIF analysis and the strengths of aptamer.

Detection of human neutrophil elastase by aptamer affinity capillary electrophoresis coupled with laser-induced fluorescence using specified site fluorescently labeled aptamer

As a multifunctional serine protease, human neutrophil elastase (HNE) plays critical roles in a variety of physiopathological processes, such as acute lung injury, emphysema, atherosclerosis, and arthritis. The quantification of HNE is important in many applications. In this paper, we report an aptamer affinity capillary electrophoresis coupled with laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) assay for detection of HNE using a tetramethylrhodamine (TMR)-labeled DNA aptamer probe. The affinity complex of HNE and DNA aptamer probe was well separated from the unbound aptamer probe in CE separation based on the difference of electrophoretic mobility. Broad complex peaks appeared due to possible multiple binding. The 45-mer aptamer having TMR labeling on the 40th T base was used as affinity probe, as larger complex peaks were obtained. We investigated the effects of various metal cations (Na⁺, K⁺, and Mg²⁺) in sample buffer on the binding of HNE and the aptamer in CE-LIF analysis. The presence of Na⁺, K⁺, or Mg²⁺ in sample buffer caused a decrease of complex peaks, and Mg²⁺ showed a larger effect. Under optimized conditions, this aptamer CE-LIF assay enabled the detection of HNE at 0.5 nM. This assay showed good specificity and allowed for detection of HNE spiked in diluted human serum sample. Graphical abstract The complex of HNE and DNA aptamer probe was isolated from the unbound aptamer probe in CE separation due to difference of electrophoretic mobility, allowing a CE-LIF assay for HNE.

An ATMND/SGI based label-free and fluorescence ratiometric aptasensor for rapid and highly sensitive detection of cocaine in biofluids

A label-free ratiometric fluorescence aptasensor has been developed for the rapid and sensitive detection of cocaine in complex biofluids. The fluorescent aptasensor is composed of a non-labeled GC-38 cocaine aptamer which serves as a basic sensing unit and two fluorophores, 2-amino-5,6,7-trimethyl-1,8-naphthyridine (ATMND) and SYBR Green I (SGI) which serves as a signal reporter and a build-in reference, respectively. The detection principle is based on a specific cocaine mediated ATMND displacement reaction and the corresponding change in the fluorescence ratio of ATMND to SGI. Due to the high affinity of the non-labeled aptamer, the good precision originated from the ratiometric method, and the good fluorescence quantum yield of the fluorophore, the aptasensor shows good analytical performance with respect to cocaine detection. Under optimal conditions, the aptasensor shows a linear range of 0.10-10μM and a low limit of detection of 56nM, with a fast response of 20s. The low limit of detection is comparable to most of the fluorescent aptasensors with signal amplification strategies and much lower than all of the unamplified cocaine aptasensors. Practical sample analysis in a series of complex biofluids, including urine, saliva and serum, also indicates the good precision, stability, and high sensitivity of the aptasensor, which may have great potential for the point-of-care screening of cocaine in complex biofluids.

Utilizing a Key Aptamer Structure-Switching Mechanism for the Ultrahigh Frequency Detection of Cocaine

Aptasensing of small molecules remains a challenge as detection often requires the use of labels or signal amplification methodologies, resulting in both difficult-to-prepare sensor platforms and multistep, complex assays. Furthermore, many aptasensors rely on the binding mechanism or structural changes associated with target capture by the aptameric probe, resulting in a detection scheme customized to each aptamer. It is in this context that we report herein a sensitive cocaine aptasensor that offers both real-time and label-free measurement capabilities. Detection relies on the electromagnetic piezoelectric acoustic sensor (EMPAS) platform. The sensing interface consists of a S-(11-trichlorosilyl-undecanyl)benzenethiosulfonate (BTS) adlayer-coated quartz disc onto which a structure-switching cocaine aptamer (MN6) is immobilized, completing the preparation of the MN6 cocaine aptasensor (M6CA). The EMPAS system has recently been employed as the foundation of a cocaine aptasensor based on a structurally rigid cocaine aptamer variant (MN4), an aptasensor referred to by analogy as M4CA. M6CA represents a significant increase in terms of analytical performance, compared to not only M4CA but also other cocaine aptamer-based sensors that do not rely on signal amplification, producing an apparent K(d) of 27 ± 6 μM and a 0.3 μM detection limit. Remarkably, the latter is in the range of that achieved by cocaine aptasensors relying on signal amplification. Furthermore, M6CA proved to be capable not only of regaining its cocaine-binding ability via simple buffer flow over the sensing interface (i.e., without the necessity to implement an additional regeneration step, such as in the case of M4CA), but also of detecting cocaine in a multicomponent matrix possessing potentially assay-interfering species. Finally, through observation of the distinct shape of its response profiles to cocaine injection, demonstration was made that the EMPAS system in practice offers the possibility to distinguish between the binding mechanisms of structure-switching (MN6) vs rigid (MN4) aptameric probes, an ability that could allow the EMPAS to provide a more universal aptasensing platform than what is ordinarily observed in the literature.

Quantum dot-DNA aptamer conjugates coupled with capillary electrophoresis: A universal strategy for ratiometric detection of organophosphorus pesticides

Based on the highly sensitivity and stable-fluorescence of water-soluble CdTe/CdS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) with broad-specificity DNA aptamers, a novel ratiometric detection strategy was proposed for the sensitive detection of organophosphorus pesticides by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF). The as-prepared QDs were first conjugated with the amino-modified oligonucleotide (AMO) by amidation reaction, which is partial complementary to the DNA aptamer of organophosphorus pesticides. Then QD-labeled AMO (QD-AMO) was incubated with the DNA aptamer to form QD-AMO-aptamer duplex. When the target organophosphorus pesticides were added, they could specifically bind the DNA aptamer, leading to the cleavage of QD-AMO-aptamer duplex, accompany with the release of QD-AMO. As a result, the ratio of peak height between QD-AMO and QD-AMO-aptamer duplex changed in the detection process of CE-LIF. This strategy was subsequently applied for the detection of phorate, profenofos, isocarbophos, and omethoate with the detection limits of 0.20, 0.10, 0.17, and 0.23μM, respectively. This is the first report about using QDs as the signal indicators for organophosphorus pesticides detection based on broad-specificity DNA aptamers by CE-LIF, thus contributing to extend the scope of application of QDs in different fields. The proposed method has great potential to be a universal strategy for rapid detection of aptamer-specific small molecule targets by simply changing the types of aptamer sequences.

Stimulus-response mesoporous silica nanoparticle-based chemiluminescence biosensor for cocaine determination

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) based controlled release system had been coupled with diverse detection technologies to establish biosensors for different targets. Chemiluminescence (CL) system of luminol/H2O2 owns the characters of simplicity, low cost and high sensitivity, but the targets of which are mostly focused on some oxidants or which can participate in a chemical reaction that yields a product with a role in the CL reaction. In this study, chemiluminescent detection technique had been coupled with mesoporous silica-based controlled released system for the first time to develop a sensitive biosensor for the target which does not cause effect to the CL system itself. Cocaine had been chosen a model target, the MSN support was firstly loaded with glucose, then the positively charged MSN interacted with negatively charged oligonucleotides (the aptamer cocaine) to close the mesopores of MSN. At the present of target, cocaine binds with its aptamer with high affinity; the flexible linear aptamer structured will become stems structured through currently well-defined non-Waston-Crick interactions and causes the releasing of entrapped glucose into the solution. With the assistant of glucose oxidase (GOx), the released glucose can react with the dissolved oxgen to produce gluconic acid and H2O2, the latter can enhance the CL of luminol in the NaOH solution. The enhanced CL intensity has a relationship with the cocaine concentration in the range of 5.0-60μM with the detection limit of 1.43μM. The proposed method had been successfully applied to detect cocaine in serum samples with high selectivity. The same strategy can be applied to develop biosensors for different targets.

Ultra-high frequency piezoelectric aptasensor for the label-free detection of cocaine

This paper describes a label-free and real-time piezoelectric aptasensor for the detection of cocaine. The acoustic wave sensing platform is a quartz substrate functionalized with an adlayer of S-(11-trichlorosilyl-undecanyl)-benzenethiosulfonate (BTS) cross-linker onto which the anti-cocaine MN4 DNA aptamer is next immobilized. Preparation of the sensor surface was monitored using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), while the binding of cocaine to surface-attached MN4 was evaluated using the electromagnetic piezoelectric acoustic sensor (EMPAS). The MN4 aptamer, unlike other cocaine aptamer variants, has its secondary structure preformed in the unbound state with only tertiary structure changes occurring during target binding. It is postulated that the highly sensitive EMPAS detected the binding of cocaine through target mass loading coupled to aptamer tertiary structure folding. The sensor achieved an apparent Kd of 45 ± 12 µM, and a limit of detection of 0.9 µM. Repeated regenerability of the sensor platform was also demonstrated. This work constitutes the first application of EMPAS technology in the field of aptasensors. Furthermore, it is so far one of the very few examples of a bulk acoustic wave aptasensor that is able to directly detect the binding interaction between an aptamer and a small molecule in a facile one-step protocol without the use of a complex assay or signal amplification step.

Capillary electrophoresis applied to DNA: determining and harnessing sequence and structure to advance bioanalyses (2009-2014)

This review of capillary electrophoresis methods for DNA analyses covers critical advances from 2009 to 2014, referencing 184 citations. Separation mechanisms based on free-zone capillary electrophoresis, Ogston sieving, and reptation are described. Two prevalent gel matrices for gel-facilitated sieving, which are linear polyacrylamide and polydimethylacrylamide, are compared in terms of performance, cost, viscosity, and passivation of electroosmotic flow. The role of capillary electrophoresis in the discovery, design, and characterization of DNA aptamers for molecular recognition is discussed. Expanding and emerging techniques in the field are also highlighted.

Nanomaterial-based cocaine aptasensors

Up to now, many different methods have been developed for detection of cocaine, but most of these methods are usually time-consuming, tedious and require special or expensive equipment. Therefore, the development of simple, sensitive and rapid detection methods is necessary. In the last decade, aptamers have been used as a new biosensor platform for detection of cocaine in different samples. Aptamers are artificial single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides capable of binding to specific molecular targets with high affinity and if integrated to nanomaterials, it may lead in precise methods for cocaine detection in the common laboratories. In this review, recent advances and applications of aptamer-based biosensors and nanobiosensors, have been updated, paying attention to the use of fluorescence, colorimetric and electrochemical techniques for the detection and quantitative determination of cocaine.