Abstract
Objective
An aptamer specifically binding to diethyl thiophosphate (DETP) was constructed and incorporated in an optical sensor and electrochemical techniques to enable the specific measurement of DETP as a metabolite and a biomarker of organophosphate exposure.
Results
A DETP-bound aptamer was selected from the library using capillary electrophoresis-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (CE-SELEX). A colorimetric method revealed that the aptamer had the highest affinity for DETP, with a mean Kd value (± SD) of 0.103 ± 0.014 µM. The docking results and changes in resistance showed that the selectivity of the aptamer for DETP was higher than that for the similar structures of dithiophosphate (DEDTP) and diethyl phosphate (DEP). The altered amplitude of cyclic voltammetry showed a linear range of DETP detection covering 0.0001–10 µg/ml with a limit of detection of 0.007 µg/ml. The recovery value of a real sample of pH 7 was 97.2%.
Conclusions
The current method showed great promise in using the DETP-specific aptamer to detect the exposure history to organophosphates by measuring their metabolites, although degradation of organophosphate parent compounds might occur.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Kasetsart University Research & Development Institute (KURDI(FF(KU)25.64) and International SciKU Branding (ISB), Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University for language editing services.
Funding
This study is supported by the National Research Council of Thailand, Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute (grant no. KURDI (FF(KU) 25.64)), and the Omics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food and Health, Kasetsart University (OmiKU).
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Swainson, N.M., Aiemderm, P., Saikaew, C. et al. Biosensors for the detection of organophosphate exposure by a new diethyl thiophosphate-specific aptamer. Biotechnol Lett 43, 1869–1881 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-021-03158-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-021-03158-2