Ultrasensitive detection of T-2 toxin in food based on bio-barcode and rolling circle amplification

A novel and highly sensitive method based on bio-barcode with rolling circle amplification (RCA) was developed for the detection of T-2 toxin. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were modified with anti-T-2 monoclonal antibody and single-stranded thiol-oligonucleotides (SH-ssDNAs) and magnetic microparticles (MMPs) coated with T-2 antigen. The T-2 toxin competes with the antigen on MMPs for the anti-T-2 antibody on AuNPs. Then, the isolating complex system was separated by a magnetic field, and the DNA of the probes was released after washing in dithiothreitol solution. The barcode DNA via RCA and products were stained by SYBR Green I and then detected by fluorescence spectrophotometry. The optimized method was performed on oats, millet, flour, and other substances. This method exhibits a low limit of detection (0.26 pg mL^-1) and linear range of 0.002-200 ng mL^-1. Moreover, the approach offers good recovery and relative standard deviations ranging from 88.65% to 10.04% and 0.6%-13.1%, respectively. In conclusion, this method exhibits potential for use as an ultrasensitive assay for the detection of a variety of small molecules in complex matrices.