Homogeneous Electrochemical Biosensor for Melamine Based on DNA Triplex Structure and Exonuclease III-Assisted Recycling Amplification.

Abasic site (AP site) in the triplex structure can recognize specific target with high selectivity. In this study, this character was first applied to develop a simple, sensitive, and selective homogeneous electrochemical biosensor for melamine determination. The assay combines the advantage of the high selectivity of the DNA triplex structure containing an AP site to melamine and high efficiency of exonuclease (Exo) III-assisted recycling amplification. DNA-1 (T1), DNA-2 (T2), poly[dA] probe containing an AP site (8A) and methylene blue-labeled DNA probe (dMB probe) were carefully designed. Melamine can specifically locate in the AP site through hydrogen bonding interaction between thymine and melamine to make T1, T2, and 8A close to each other, therefore, forming a stable T-melamine-T DNA triplex structure. Under the optimal conditions, the differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) response had a linear relationship with the logarithm of melamine concentration in the range of 1 nM∼0.5 μM. The developed biosensor has been successfully applied to detect the migration of melamine from melamine bowl. Result showed that the migration in 4% acetic acid solvent was the largest, which is similar to that detected by high performance liquid chromatography. This homogeneous electrochemical sensor may have a potential prospect in detecting melamine in dairy products and migration of melamine from multicategory food packaging or application materials.