Reusable split-aptamer-based biosensor for rapid detection of cocaine in serum by using an all-fiber evanescent wave optical biosensing platform

• Split-aptamer was applied on fiber optical biosensing platform for the first time.
• The detection time was reduced to 450 s by the two stage reaction.
• The split-aptasensor can realize the in situ cocaine detection in serum.
• The aptasensor can be regenerated in 75 s for 40 times.

A rapid, facile, and sensitive assay of cocaine in biological fluids is important to prevent illegal abuse of drugs. A two-step structure-switching aptasensor has been developed for cocaine detection based on evanescent wave optical biosensing platform. In the proposed biosensing platform, two tailored aptamer probes were used to construct the molecular structure switching. In the existence of cocaine, two fragments of cocaine aptamer formed a three-way junction quickly, and the fluorophore group of one fragment was effectively quenched by the quencher group of the other one. The tail of the three-way junction hybridized with the cDNA sequences immobilized on the optical fiber biosensor. Fluorescence was excited by evanescent wave, and the fluorescence signal was proportional to cocaine concentration. Cocaine was detected in 450 s (300 s for incubation and 150 s for detection and regeneration) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 165.2 nM. The proposed aptasensor was evaluated in human serum samples, and it exhibited good recovery, precision, and accuracy without complicated sample pretreatments.

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