A sensitive aptasensor based on rolling circle amplification and G-rich ssDNA/terbium (III) luminescence enhancement for ofloxacin detection in food

As the light-harvesting “antenna”, G-rich oligonucleotides (such as the G-quadruplex) can interact with lanthanide (III) to bring a luminescent enhancement response. In this study, phenomenon of luminescent enhancement of G-triplex/terbium (III) (G3/Tb3+) and interaction between G3 and Tb3+ were first reported and characterized. Based on G3/Tb3+ luminescence, a label-free aptasensor for the detection of ofloxacin (OFL) residues in the food was developed. The OFL triggered the action of rolling circle amplification (RCA) allowed for the amplification product of G3-forming sequences in the single-stranded DNA, which promoted the conformational transition of the G3/Tb3+ complexes once the addition of Tb3+. Under the optimal conditions, the logarithmic correlation between the G3/Tb3+ luminescence intensity and the concentration of OFL was found to be linear in the range of 5–1000 pmol L−1 (R2 = 0.9949). The limit of detection was 0.18 pmol L−1 (3σ/slope). Additionally, the good recoveries of 90.19–108.89 % and the relative standard deviations values of 0.59–5.87 % were obtained in the application of the aptasensor detecting OFL in the practical samples. These results confirmed that the present aptasensor has a good analytical performance and bright prospect for detecting ofloxacin residues in food.