Ultrasensitive label-free electrochemical aptasensor for Pb2+ detection exploiting Exo III amplification and AgPt/GO nanocomposite-enhanced transduction

Abstract

Lead ion pollution has become a serious public health concern worldwide. Therefore, sensitive detection of Pb2+ is critical to control lead pollution, assess risks, and safeguard the health of vulnerable populations. This study reports a highly sensitive labelling-free electrochemical aptasensor for Pb2+ detection. The aptasensor employs silver-platinum nanoparticles/graphene oxide (AgPt/GO) and Exonuclease III (Exo III) for signal amplification. GO provides high surface area and conductivity for immobilizing AgPt NPs, facilitating the immobilization of aptamer (Apt) probes on the electrode surface. Exo III enzymatically cleaves DNA strands on the electrode surface, releasing DNA segments to amplify the signal further. The synergistic amplification by AgPt/GO and ExoIII enables an extremely wide linear detection range of 0.05 pM–5 nM for Pb2+, with a low detection limit of 0.019 pM. Additionally, the G-quadruplex structure ensures excellent selectivity for Pb2+ detection, resulting in high reproducibility and stability of the aptasensor. The aptasensor was successfully applied to detect spiked Pb2+ in tap water samples, achieving recovery rates ranging from 96 to 108.4 %. By integrating nanomaterials, aptamers and enzymatic amplification, the aptasensor facilitates highly sensitive and selective detection of Pb2+, demonstrating potential for practical applications in environmental monitoring.