Towards highly specific aptamer-affinity monolithic column by efficient UV light-initiated polymerization in one-pot

Time-consuming or tedious operation in multiple-step process might is the obstacle for efficiently preparing aptamer-affinity monolithic column. Here, a new and facile strategy to prepare aptamer-based hybrid affinity monolith in one-pot at room temperature was exploited, in which UV light-initiated free-radical polymerization and thiol-ene click reaction were implemented simultaneously. Only 7 min was cost for finishing the polymerization reaction, which was only 1/100 of that for the traditional thermal polymerization. Using ochratoxin A (OTA) as the model analyte, the recipe for photo-initiated polymerization was optimized, and SEM morphology, FTIR, EDS, pore size distribution and specific recognition performance were also studied. Compared with traditional thermal polymerization, the resultant monolith was achieved more facilely and displayed better results such as more homogeneous skeleton structure, higher reaction efficiency of aptamer (>88.2%) and better specific selectivity to OTA. Besides, an extremely low nonspecific adsorption of analogues was obtained and showed a level at only 1/25 of that in the similar aptamer-affinity monolith prepared by thermal polymerization. Applied to beer and red wine samples, good recovery yields about 99.7 +/- 4.0% e101.2 +/- 2.3% (n = 3)was achieved with the acceptable RSDs. It would open up a rapid and promising access to efficiently preparing highperformance aptamer-based affinity monolithic columns for online specific recognition. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A new and facile strategy was developed to prepare aptamer-based hybrid affinity monolith in one-pot at room temperature, achieving a more efficient and rapid method. By optimizing the recipe for photo-initiated polymerization, the monolith showed a more homogeneous skeleton structure, higher aptamer reaction efficiency, and better specific selectivity to OTA.