Two birds with one stone: Ratiometric sensing platform overcoming cross-interference for multiple-scenario detection and accurate discrimination of tetracycline analogs

Abstract

Environmental pollution caused by tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) is a major concern for public health worldwide. Trace detection and reliable discrimination of tetracycline and its analogs are consequently essential to determine the distribution characteristics of various tetracycline family members. Here, a dual-response sensor was constructed by integrating the fluorescence emission of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) doped SiO2 and Eu3+. A portable Lab-on-Paper device is further fabricated through probe immobilization, which allows convenient visual detection of tetracycline using a smartphone. In addition, for the coexistence of multiple tetracycline analogs, dimensionality reduction via principal component analysis is applied to the spectra, realizing accurate differentiation of the four most widely used tetracycline analogs (tetracycline (TC), chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC), and doxycycline (DOX)). The dual-response nanoplatform enabled a wide-gamut color variation crossing from green to red, with limit of detection (LOD) of 2.9 nM and 89.8 nM for spectrometer- and paper-based sensors, respectively. Analytical performance was examined in multiple real samples, including food, environmental, and biological settings, confirming robust environmental adaptability and resistance. Compared to previous TC sensors, this method has several notable improvements, including improved ecological safety, accessibility, reproducibility, practicality, and anti-cross-interference capacity. These results highlight the potential of the proposed “two birds with one stone” strategy, providing an integrated methodology for synchronous quantitative detection and derivative identification toward environmental contaminants.