A highly sensitive fluorescence biosensor for aflatoxins B₁ detection based on polydiacetylene liposomes combined...

A fluorescence biosensor for determination of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) based on polydiacetylene (PDA) liposomes and exonuclease III (EXO III)-assisted recycling amplification was developed. The AFB₁ aptamer partially hybridizes with complementary DNA (cDNA), which is released upon recognition of AFB₁ by the aptamer. Subsequently, the cDNA hybridizes with hairpin H to form double-stranded DNA that undergoes digestion by EXO III, resulting in the cyclic release of cDNA and generation of capture DNA for further reaction. The capture DNA then hybridizes with probe modified on PDA liposomes, leading to aggregation of liposomes and subsequent fluorescence production. This strategy exhibited a limit of detection of 0.18 ng/mL within the linear range 1-100 ng/mL with a determination coefficient > 0.99. The recovery ranged from 92.81 to 106.45%, with relative standard deviations (RSD) between 1.73 and 4.26%, for corn, brown rice, peanut butter, and wheat samples. The stability, accuracy, and specificity of the method demonstrated the applicability for real sample analysis.