A low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) DNA-hydrogel (LNDH) nanoprobe was designed for bisphenol A (BPA) determination. It consists of Fe3O4 superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and a DNA-hydrogel technology. Fe3O4 SPIONs were encapsulated in the DNA-hydrogel to form an aggregated state. After adding BPA, the gel system transformed into a sol gel due to the target-aptamer specific binding. The coated gathered particles dispersed and thus, the relaxation time T2 declined. The LNDH nanoprobe was developed to realize a simple, sensitive, and effective BPA determination method without repeated magnetic separation steps. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the determination range of the LNDH biosensor was 10-2~102 ng mL-1 and the limit of determination was 0.07 ng mL-1. The LNDH nanoprobe was applied to two kinds of water samples (tap water and bottled water). The recovery ranged from 87.85 to approximately 97.87%. This strategy offered a new method to detect BPA by LF-NMR. It is also expected to be applicable in related fields of food safety determination, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnosis. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of LNDH biosensor. Acrydite-modified ssDNA was copolymerized with acrylamide to form linear conjugates PS-A/B, adding aptamer and SPIONs to form DNA-hydrogel. When aptamer captured the target, the hydrogel was destroyed to disperse the coated SPIONs. T2 relaxation time declined.
Keywords: BPA; DNA-hydrogel; Fe3O4 SPIONs; LF-NMR.