Double-receptor sandwich supramolecule sensing method for the determination of ATP based on uranyl-salophen complex and aptamer

In this study, we report a double-receptor sandwich supramolecule sensing method for the determination of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). One receptor is a uranyl-salophen complex which can bind the triphosphate group in ATP selectively, and another is an anti-adenosine aptamer which is a single-stranded oligonucleotide and can recognize the adenosine group in ATP specifically. The uranyl-salophen complex was immobilized on the surface of amino-silica gel particles and used as the solid phase receptor of ATP. The anti-adenosine aptamer was labeled with a fluorescent group and used as the labeled receptor of ATP. In the procedure of ATP detection, ATP was first combined with the solid phase receptor and then conjugated with the labeled receptor to form a sandwich-type supramolecule. The conditions of fabricating solid phase receptor and the influence of manifold variables on the determination were studied. The experimental results demonstrate that the method has a number of advantages such as high selectivity, high sensitivity, good stability and low cost. Under optimal conditions, the linear range for detection of ATP is 0.2-5.0 nmol/mL with a detection limit of 0.037 nmol/mL The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of ATP in real samples with the recoveries of 96.8-103.3%. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.