Direct detection of OTA by impedimetric aptasensor based on modified polypyrrole-dendrimers.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a carcinogenic mycotoxin that contaminates food such as cereals, wine and beer; therefore it represents a risk for human health. Consequently, the allowed concentration of OTA in food is regulated by governmental organizations and its detection is of major agronomical interest. In the current study we report the development of an electrochemical aptasensor able to directly detect trace OTA without any amplification procedure. This aptasensor was constructed by coating the surface of a gold electrode with a film layer of modified polypyrrole (PPy), which was thereafter covalently bound to polyamidoamine dendrimers of the fourth generation (PAMAM G4). Finally, DNA aptamers that specifically binds OTA were covalently bound to the PAMAM G4 providing the aptasensor, which was characterized by using both Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) techniques. The study of OTA detection by the constructed electrochemical aptasensor was performed using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and revealed that the presence of OTA led to the modification of the electrical properties of the PPy layer. These modifications could be assigned to conformational changes in the folding of the aptamers upon specific binding of OTA. The aptasensor had a dynamic range of up to 5 µg L(-1) of OTA and a detection limit of 2 ng L(-1) of OTA, which is below the OTA concentration allowed in food by the European regulations. The efficient detection of OTA by this electrochemical aptasensor provides an unforeseen platform that could be used for the detection of various small molecules through specific aptamer association.

Biosensors based on modularly designed synthetic peptides for recognition, detection and live/dead differentiation of pathogenic bacteria.

Rapid and sensitive detection of bacterial pathogens is critical for assessing public health, food and environmental safety. We report the use of modularly designed and site-specifically oriented synthetic antimicrobial peptides (sAMPs) as novel recognition agents enabling detection and quantification of bacterial pathogens. The oriented assembly of the synthetic peptides on electrode surfaces through an engineered cysteine residue coupled with impedimetric detection facilitated rapid and sensitive detection of bacterial pathogens with a detection limit of 10(2)CFU/mL for four bacterial strains including Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis). The approach enabled differentiation between live and dead bacteria. The fabrication of the sAMPs functionalized surface and the importance of the sAMPs orientation for providing optimum recognition and detection ability against pathogens are discussed. The proposed methodology provides a universal platform for the detection of bacterial pathogens based on engineered peptides, as alternative to the most commonly used immunological and gene based assays. The method can also be used to fabricate antimicrobial coatings and surfaces for inactivation and screening of viable bacteria.