A wash-free and label-free colorimetric biosensor for naked-eye detection of aflatoxin B1 using G-quadruplex as the signal reporter

A wash-free and label-free colorimetric biosensor for the amplified detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has been constructed by the integration of an ingenious hairpin DNA probe with exonuclease III (Exo III)-assisted signal amplification. The presence of the AFB1 activates the continuous cleavage reactions by Exo III toward a hairpin probe, resulting in the autonomous accumulation of numerous free G-quadruplex sequences, which can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3', 5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H2O2 to produce a colorimetric response. The nakedeye biosensor is ultrasensitive, enabling the visual detection of trace amounts of AFB1 as low as 1 pM without instrumentation. The sensor is robust and can work even when challenged with complex sample matrices such as peanut samples. With the advantages of simple operation, wash-free and label-free format, visible and intuitive output, and low cost, the naked-eye based colorimetric biosensor is expected to have potential applications for in-field detection of AFB1.