HCR signal amplification strategy based photothermal sensing for histamine detection

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Histamine is a biogenic amine crucial for physiological functions but toxic at high levels.
• Accurate and rapid detection of histamine is vital for food safety and public health.
• Existing methods for histamine detection can be complex, time-consuming, or lack portability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, visual, portable, and quantitative sensing platform for histamine detection.
• To utilize a hybridization chain reaction (HCR) coupled with photothermal transduction for sensitive histamine analysis.
• To validate the platform's performance and applicability in real food samples.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of CuS@Au nanocomposites via a hydrothermal method for photothermal transduction.
• Development of a histamine-triggered HCR assay for nucleic acid amplification.
• Integration of HCR with CuS@Au nanocomposites for photothermal signal generation and temperature measurement.
• Optimization of reaction conditions and validation using spiked fish and shrimp samples.

Main Results:

• The CuS@Au nanocomposites exhibited excellent photothermal conversion efficiency.
• A linear relationship was observed between temperature difference (ΔT) and histamine concentration (10 pM–10 µM).
• A highly sensitive detection limit of 0.82 pM for histamine was achieved.
• The platform successfully detected histamine in spiked fish and shrimp samples, demonstrating practical applicability.

Conclusions:

• A novel and effective photothermal sensing platform for histamine detection has been established.
• The platform offers visual, portable, and quantitative analysis with high sensitivity and a low detection limit.
• This technology holds significant potential for rapid food safety monitoring and public health protection.