Click and Detect: Versatile Ampicillin Aptasensor Enabled by Click Chemistry on a Graphene–Alkyne Derivative

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Vol. 19; no. 51; pp. e2207216 - n/a
• Main Authors: Flauzino, José M. R., Nalepa, Martin‐Alex, Chronopoulos, Demetrios D., Šedajová, Veronika, Panáček, David, Jakubec, Petr, Kührová, Petra, Pykal, Martin, Banáš, Pavel, Panáček, Aleš, Bakandritsos, Aristides, Otyepka, Michal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Alkynes; Ampicillin; antibiotic detection; Antibiotics; aptamers; Biosensors; Carbon; Chemical synthesis; Control methods; Graphene; graphene acid; Inks; screen printed carbon electrodes; Storage stability; graphene acid; biosensors; screen printed carbon electrodes; antibiotic detection; aptamers
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202207216

Tackling the current problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) requires fast, inexpensive, and effective methods for controlling and detecting antibiotics in diverse samples at the point of interest. Cost‐effective, disposable, point‐of‐care electrochemical biosensors are a particularly attractive option. However, there is a need for conductive and versatile carbon‐based materials and inks that enable effective bioconjugation under mild conditions for the development of robust, sensitive, and selective devices. This work describes a simple and fast methodology to construct an aptasensor based on a novel graphene derivative equipped with alkyne groups prepared via fluorographene chemistry. Using click chemistry, an aptamer is immobilized and used as a successful platform for the selective determination of ampicillin in real samples in the presence of interfering molecules. The electrochemical aptasensor displayed a detection limit of 1.36 nM, high selectivity among other antibiotics, the storage stability of 4 weeks, and is effective in real samples. Additionally, structural and docking simulations of the aptamer shed light on the ampicillin binding mechanism. The versatility of this platform opens up wide possibilities for constructing a new class of aptasensor based on disposable screen‐printed carbon electrodes usable in point‐of‐care devices. A new biosensor for ampicillin detection is designed, employing only carbon‐based matrices and click‐chemistry reaction. The aptasensor offers a versatile, affordable, and fast platform for in‐situ detection of nanomolar antibiotic concentration in tap water, saliva, and milk.