Electrochemical aptasensor for tetracycline using a screen-printed carbon electrode modified with an alginate film containing reduced graphene oxide and magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles

The authors describe a label-free electrochemical aptasensor for tetracycline (TET). The TET-binding aptamer was immobilized on a composite consisting of reduced graphene oxide, magnetite (Fe3O4) and sodium alginate, and this material was used to modify the surface of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). Cyclic voltammetry was carried out to characterize the single steps in the preparation of the modified electrode and to optimize the conditions for detection. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was then used to monitor the interaction between aptamer and TET by applying the electrochemical probe thionine. Under optimal conditions, TET can be quantified by DPV in the 1 nM to 5 mu M concentration range, with a detection limit as low as 0.6 nM (at an S/N ratio of 3). The method is rapid, cost-efficient, highly sensitive and specific, and therefore is considered to be a viable platform for TET analysis in food, environmental, and clinical samples.