On-site detection of chloramphenicol in fish using SERS-based magnetic aptasensor coupled with a handheld Raman spectrometer

• Published in: Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy, 2023-12, Vol.303, p.123211, Article 123211
• Main Authors: Chen, Junlin, Lin, Hong, Cao, Limin, Sui, Jianxin, Wang, Lei, Fang, Xiu, Wang, Kaiqiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aptamer; Chloramphenicol (CAP); Fish; In-field detection; Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)
• ISSN: 1386-1425
• DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2023.123211

[Display omitted] •A handheld Raman spectrometer was used for rapid detection of drug residues.•Fe3O4@Au NFs and Au@Ag NPs were used to develop the SERS aptasensor.•The developed SERS aptasensor showed high SERS sensitivity and good portability.•The proposed method showed a wide linear range and low LOD for detecting CAP. In recent years, the rapid detection of chloramphenicol (CAP) has become a market demand due to its high toxicity. In this study, for the first time, a portable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) aptasensor for the rapid and on-site detection of chloramphenicol (CAP) residues in fish was developed. Fe3O4@Au nanoflowers combined with sulfhydryl (SH)-CAP aptamer complementary DNA acted as capture probes. SH-CAP aptamer modified Au@Ag nanoparticles (Au@Ag NPs) embedded with 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) were served as reporter probes. The strongest Raman intensity was produced due to the coupling of Fe3O4@Au nanoflowers (Fe3O4@Au NFs) and Au@Ag NPs. For CAP detection, a wide linear range from 0.001 to 1000 μg/L, with an R2 of 0.9805, was obtained. The limit of detection was determined to be 0.87 ng/L. The SERS aptasensor showed excellent performance for analytical applications for real fish samples. Compared with the conventional HPLC method, the developed SERS aptasensor coupled with a handheld Raman spectrometer had flexible application and avoided the limitations of complex operating conditions. It should be a promising portable analytical tool for analysis of drug residues in the field.