Generation of a high-affinity DNA aptamer for on-site screening of toxic aristolochic acid I in herbal medicines and botanical products

• DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341302
• Publication Date: 2023-04-29T09:24:02Z
• Authors: Jiwei Li; Meiqi Chen; Sisi Ke; Jiangwei Tian; Haixiang Yu; Xiufeng Liu; Bo-Yang Yu
• Keywords: Limit of Detection; Plant Extracts; SELEX Aptamer Technique; Biosensing Techniques; Aptamers, Nucleotide; 3. Good health

Aristolochic Acid I (AAI) is an environmental and foodborne toxin found in the Aristolochia and Asarum species of plants that are widespread all over the world. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a sensitive and specific biosensor for identifying AAI. Aptamers as a powerful biorecognition element provide the most viable options for solving this problem. In this study, we used library-immobilized SELEX to isolate an AAI-specific aptamer with a KD value of 86 ± 13 nM. To verify the practicability of the selected aptamer, a label-free colorimetric aptasensor was designed. This aptasensor exhibited a low detection limit of 225 nM. Besides, it had been further applied for the determination of AAI in real samples and the recoveries ranged from 97.9% to 102.4%. In the future, AAI aptamer will provide a promising tool for safety evaluation in various fields of agriculture, food, and medication.