Paper-based sensor for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of ibuprofen in water and herbal tea

As the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) increases, their side effects have also attracted attention. Ibuprofen is one of the most widely-used NSAIDs. In this study, we screened the highly-sensitive and specific antibody 6E10, with an IC50 of 1.92 ng/mL, and a linear range of 0.53–6.97 ng/mL. On this basis, we developed a lateral-flow immunochromatographic assay (ICA) strip, which can quickly detect ibuprofen in water or herbal tea. The cut-off limit of the strip is 10 ng/mL in water, and concentrations as low as 1 ng/mL can be detected in herbal tea samples, with the results obtained by the naked eye within 6 min. All the data were confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS). This lateral-flow ICA strip is thus a rapid tool for on-site detection and screening of ibuprofen in water and herbal tea.