High-stable perovskite nanocrystal fluorescent probe-based aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of peanut allergen Ara h1

Abstract

Food allergy is a serious immune allergy reaction, that has attracted public attention all over the world due to the increasing incidence. Ara h1, the most abundant allergenic protein in peanuts, has been identified as a biomarker of peanut allergen. Therefore, a sensitive, efficient method for Ara h1 detection is urgently needed to protect allergy sufferers. In this study, a simple and efficient fluorescent aptasensor was proposed for ultrasensitive and rapid detection of peanut allergen Ara h1. The aptamer against Ara h1 was conjugated onto the surface of high-stable perovskite nanocrystal (PNCs) to serve as the fluorescence-labeled recognition probe as well as the signal probe, while the magnetic nanoparticles Fe3O4 (MNPs) were functionalized with the aptamer complementary DNA (cDNA) as the separation probe. The high-stable PNCs-labeled aptasensor Apt-PNCs@cDNA-MNPs gives the combined merits of the extraordinary optical properties of PNCs, the efficient magnetic separation capability of MNPs as well as the high specificity of aptamers. The developed high-stable PNCs-labeled aptasensor exhibited excellent linearity (0.1–100 ng/mL), and low limit of detection (0.04 ng/mL). The aptasensor was successfully applied for the determination of Ara h1 in food samples, implying great potential in the field of allergen assay.