A split aptamer (SPA)-based sandwich-type biosensor for facile and rapid detection of streptomycin

Abstract As antibiotic pollution is gaining prominence as a global issue, the demand for detection of streptomycin (STR), which is a widely used antibiotic with potential human health and ecological risks, has attracted increasing attention. Aptamer-based biosensors have been developed for the detection of STR in buffers and samples, however, the non-target signals due to the conformational variation of free aptamers possibly affect their sensitivity and stability. In this study, by introducing the STR-specific split aptamer (SPA), a sensitive evanescent wave fluorescent (EWF) biosensor is developed for the sandwich-type based detection of STR. The standard calibration curve obtained for STR has a detection limit of 33 nM with a linear range of 60–526 nM. This biosensor exhibited good selectivity, reliable reusability for at least 100 times measurements, and high recovery rates for spiked water samples; moreover, all detection steps are easy-to-operate and can be completed in 5 min. Therefore, it exhibits great promise for actual on-site environmental monitoring. Additionally, without introducing any other oligonucleotides or auxiliary materials, this SPA-based biosensing method shows potential as a simple, sensitive, and low-cost manner for the detection of other small molecular targets.