Development of Au8 nanocluster-based fluorescent strip immunosensor for sensitive detection of aflatoxin B1

Zi-Hui Shao; Aoqiang Zhai; Yue Hua; Hui-Lin Mo; Fuwei Xie; Xueli Zhao; Ge Zhao; Shuang-Quan Zang

doi:10.1016/j.aca.2023.341576

Development of Au₈ nanocluster-based fluorescent strip immunosensor for sensitive detection of aflatoxin B₁

Anal Chim Acta. 2023 Sep 15:1274:341576. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341576. Epub 2023 Jun 29.

Authors

Zi-Hui Shao¹, Aoqiang Zhai², Yue Hua¹, Hui-Lin Mo¹, Fuwei Xie³, Xueli Zhao⁴, Ge Zhao⁵, Shuang-Quan Zang¹

Affiliations

¹ Henan Key Laboratory of Crystalline Molecular Functional Materials, Henan International Joint Laboratory of Tumor Theranostic Cluster Materials, Green Catalysis Center and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
² School of Basic Medical Sciences, College of medicine, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
³ Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, No.2 of Fengyang street, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
⁴ Henan Key Laboratory of Crystalline Molecular Functional Materials, Henan International Joint Laboratory of Tumor Theranostic Cluster Materials, Green Catalysis Center and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China. Electronic address: xuelizhao@zzu.edu.cn.
⁵ Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, No.2 of Fengyang street, Zhengzhou, 450001, China. Electronic address: Zhaogztri@163.com.

PMID: 37455086
DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341576

Abstract

Gold clusters with intriguing chemical/physical properties have great promise in applications such as sensing and bio-imaging due to their fascinating photoluminescence character. In this study, an immunofluorescence sensor based on levonorgestrel protected atomically precise Au₈ nanocluster (Au₈NC) for aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) detection was fabricated due to its strong carcinogenic and mutagenic effect on humans. The prepared polymer-Au₈NC nanospheres displayed bright luminescence and good stability in aqueous solution. The obtained AFB₁ fluorescent strip immunosensor achieved quantitative point-of-care detection of AFB₁ in less than 15 min, with high selectivity and detection limits down to 0.27 ng/mL. In addition, the recovery rates of AFB₁ from tea soup ranged from 96% to 105% with relative standard deviations less than 10%. This work not only realized high-sensitively fluorescent sensing for AFB₁, but also expanded the bio-applications of atomic-precise metal clusters.

Keywords: Gold cluster; Immunofluorescence; Self-assemble; Sensor.

MeSH terms

Aflatoxin B1 / analysis
Biosensing Techniques* / methods
Coloring Agents
Food Contamination / analysis
Gold
Humans
Immunoassay
Limit of Detection
Metal Nanoparticles*

Substances

Aflatoxin B1
Gold
Coloring Agents