Mild resorcinol formaldehyde resin polymer based immunochromatography assay for high-sensitive detection of clenbuterol

Exploring a nanomaterial simultaneously possessing simple synthesis process and brighter colors as a novel label is urgently needed in the immunochromatography assay (ICA). Herein, in order to achieve high-sensitive detection of small molecule pollutants, an immunosensor is developed, where the mild resorcinol formaldehyde resin polymer (mRF, 380 nm) synthesized under mild conditions, was applied as a signal label. The mRF possesses good biocompatibility, various chemical groups, and is easy to bind biological molecules. The antibody was connected to the mRF through electrostatic adsorption to prepare immune probes that was further applied in ICA. In this work, clenbuterol (CL) was chosen as the analysis model to prove the performance of the mRF-based immune probe. Under best conditions, the detection sensitivity is 1 ng mL(-1), that is 4 times lower than that of as much sensitive as the traditional colloidal gold strip. In addition, this method was successfully applied to detect CL in food samples, with recovery rates between 96.7 % and 117.2 %. These results show that the mRF-based ICA is a reliable and sensitive detection tool for the CL residue. This work offers a new possibility for the application of RF and a new reference method for the analysis and detection of other small molecule pollutants.

Automated summary

This study developed a highly sensitive immunosensor using mRF synthesized under mild conditions as a signal label, which was successfully applied for the detection of small molecule pollutants with lower detection limit. The method was also successfully applied to detect pollutants in food samples with high recovery rates.