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Colorimetric determination of ofloxacin using unmodified aptamers and the aggregation of gold nanoparticles

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Abstract

A colorimetric method is presented for the determination of the antibiotic ofloxacin (OFL) in aqueous solution. It is based on the use of an aptamer and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). In the absence of OFL, the AuNPs are wrapped by the aptamer and maintain dispersed even at the high NaCl concentrations. The solution with colloidally dispersed AuNPs remains red and has an absorption peak at 520 nm. In the presence of OFL, it will bind to the aptamer which is then released from the AuNPs. Hence, AuNPs will aggregate in the salt solution, and color gradually turns to blue, with a new absorption peak at 650 nm. This convenient and specific colorimetric assay for OFL has a linear response in the 20 to 400 nM OFL concentration range and a 3.4 nM detection limit. The method has a large application potential for OFL detection in environmental and biological samples.

Schematic of a sensitive and simple colorimetric aptasensor for ofloxacin (OFL) detection in tap water and synthesic urine. The assay is based on the salt-induced aggregation of gold nanoparticles which results in a color change from red to purple.

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Acknowledgements

This work was sponsored by Shanghai Pujiang Program (No. 16PJD026), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFD0800704), and the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LY18B070029).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agriculture and Biology, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Bor S. Luh Food Safety Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaotong Zhou, Lumei Wang, Guoqing Shen, Dongwei Zhang, Jialun Xie, Abdureyim Mamut & Weiwen Huang

  2. College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People’s Republic of China

    Shanshan Zhou

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  1. Xiaotong Zhou
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  2. Lumei Wang
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Correspondence to Lumei Wang.

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Zhou, X., Wang, L., Shen, G. et al. Colorimetric determination of ofloxacin using unmodified aptamers and the aggregation of gold nanoparticles. Microchim Acta 185, 355 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-018-2895-2

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