Development of a DMSNs@CuInS/ZnS-based flow immunochromatographic strip method for gliadin detection

In this study, we developed a fluorescent lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) using CuInS/ZnS quantum dots loaded onto dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs) as the signal reporter for the rapid and sensitive detection of gliadin. We enhanced signal amplification by loading CuInS/ZnS quantum dots within DMSNs. Under systematically optimized conditions, the established method exhibited a wide linear range from 12.50 ± 0.47 μg/L to 1200.00 ± 1.69 μg/L, with an exceptionally low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.02 ± 0.01 μg/L. During the analysis of real food samples, the spiked recovery rates for biscuit, bread, and flour samples were 82.19 %-111.50 %, 96.73 %-109.45 %, and 89.26 %-116.57 %, respectively. Our results were validated using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, validating the high accuracy and practical applicability of our method for monitoring gluten in food samples. These results demonstrated that our proposed LFIA-based approach could be used as a reliable tool for gluten allergy management.