A highly sensitive biosensor for estradiol detection in environmental water samples using aptamer conformational switching and RCA-Cas12a amplification
{"title":"A highly sensitive biosensor for estradiol detection in environmental water samples using aptamer conformational switching and RCA-Cas12a amplification","authors":"Chenqi Niu , Chong Zhang , Changwen Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.05.018","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Estradiol poses a potential threat to human health through bioaccumulation in aquatic food chains. The CRISPR-Cas system has revolutionized nucleic acid-based detection. However, adapting CRISPR-based diagnostics for small molecule detection remains a significant challenge. In this study, a biosensor for estradiol detection was developed using an aptamer-based strategy. This biosensor employs a high-affinity estradiol-binding aptamer (CN-Es2), which was previously identified by our group, to construct a “microbead-capture strand-blocker” functional probe. By integrating rolling circle amplification (RCA) with Cas12a-mediated nucleic acid cleavage, the system achieved robust signal amplification, enabling the highly sensitive and specific detection of estradiol. Moreover, this biosensor exhibited a dynamic detection range of 10 pM to 10 nM, with a detection limit of 19.2 pM (5.2 ng/L). Overall, this method provides a rapid and efficient strategy for monitoring trace levels of estradiol in complex matrices, addressing a critical requirement in the context of public food safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Pages 1037-1045"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590182625000670","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Estradiol poses a potential threat to human health through bioaccumulation in aquatic food chains. The CRISPR-Cas system has revolutionized nucleic acid-based detection. However, adapting CRISPR-based diagnostics for small molecule detection remains a significant challenge. In this study, a biosensor for estradiol detection was developed using an aptamer-based strategy. This biosensor employs a high-affinity estradiol-binding aptamer (CN-Es2), which was previously identified by our group, to construct a “microbead-capture strand-blocker” functional probe. By integrating rolling circle amplification (RCA) with Cas12a-mediated nucleic acid cleavage, the system achieved robust signal amplification, enabling the highly sensitive and specific detection of estradiol. Moreover, this biosensor exhibited a dynamic detection range of 10 pM to 10 nM, with a detection limit of 19.2 pM (5.2 ng/L). Overall, this method provides a rapid and efficient strategy for monitoring trace levels of estradiol in complex matrices, addressing a critical requirement in the context of public food safety.