Gold Nanoparticles-Based Detection of Aflatoxin B1: A Breakthrough in Mycotoxin Detection

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi have made a significant breakthrough in the detection of aflatoxin B1, a highly toxic fungal secondary metabolite that poses serious health risks to humans and animals. By developing a gold nanoparticles-assisted SELEX (AuNP-SELEX) approach, the team has created a sensitive and specific detection technology that eliminates the need for target immobilization. This innovative method has the potential to revolutionize food safety monitoring and mycotoxin detection.

Key Takeaways:

  • The AuNP-SELEX approach uses gold nanoparticles to detect aflatoxin B1, offering a rapid, visual, and refined method for selecting aptamers against small molecules like AFB.
  • The top four aptamers, L2, CPMA1, L1, and L3, showed strong binding affinities with dissociation constants (K) of 1.24, 1.6, 2.55, and 5.26 nM, respectively.
  • Circular dichroism spectroscopy confirmed conformational changes in the aptamers upon AFB binding, and a fluorescence assay using a FAM-labelled L2 aptamer and graphene oxide achieved a detection limit of 0.53 nM.
  • The approach enhances detection sensitivity and specificity, offering a valuable tool for food safety monitoring and mycotoxin detection.
  • The research has been peer-reviewed and published in Analytica Chimica Acta.
  • The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi has developed an efficient screening of large libraries for aptamers with minimal off-target binding using High-Throughput SELEX (HT-SELEX).

Statistics:

  • The detection limit of the fluorescence assay was 0.53 nM.
  • The dissociation constants (K) for the top four aptamers were 1.24, 1.6, 2.55, and 5.26 nM, respectively.
  • The study used a gold nanoparticles-assisted SELEX approach to detect aflatoxin B1.
  • The research has been published in Analytica Chimica Acta, a peer-reviewed journal.

Sources:

  • Gold nanoparticle-assisted, label-free SELEX coupled with high-throughput NGS for generating highly sensitive and specific DNA aptamers targeting Aflatoxin B1. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2025;1364:344201.
  • Elsevier. Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands. (www.elsevier.com)
  • Shazia Shareef, Environmental Biotechnology Lab, Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.