A Novel Aptamer-Imprinted Polymer-Based Electrochemical Biosensor for the Detection of Lead in Aquatic Products

Lead contamination in aquatic products is one of the main hazard factors. The aptasensor is a promising detection method for lead ion (Pb(II)) because of its selectivity, but it is easily affected by pH. The combination of ion-imprinted polymers(IIP) with aptamers may improve their stability in different pH conditions. This paper developed a novel electrochemical biosensor for Pb(II) detection by using aptamer-imprinted polymer as a recognition element. The glassy carbon electrode was modified with gold nanoparticles and aptamers. After the aptamer was induced by Pb(II) to form a G-quadruplex conformation, a chitosan-graphene oxide was electrodeposited and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to form an imprint layer, improving the stability of the biosensor. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the current signal change (∆I) showed a linear correlation of the content of Pb(II) in the range of 0.1–2.0 μg/mL with a detection limit of 0.0796 μg/mL (S/N = 3). The biosensor also exhibited high selectivity for the determination of Pb(II) in the presence of other interfering metal ion. At the same time, the stability of the imprinted layer made the sensor applicable to the detection environment with a pH of 6.4–8.0. Moreover, the sensor was successfully applied to the detection of Pb(II) in mantis shrimp.