Computer aided aptamer selection for fabrication of electrochemical sensor to detect Aflatoxin B₁

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is a naturally occurring toxin produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. The AFB₁ is classified as a potent carcinogen and poses significant health risks both to humans and animals. Early detection of the toxin in post-harvest agricultural products will save lives and promote healthy food production. In this study, stratified docking approach was utilized to screen and identify potential aptamers that can bind to AFB₁. ssDNA sequences were acquired from the Mendeley dataset, secondary and tertiary structures were predicted through a series of bioinformatics pipelines. Further, the final DNA tertiary structures were minimized and SiteMap algorithm was used to probe and locate binding cavities. According to the final XP docking result, a 34 nt sequence (5′-ATCCTGTGAGGAATGCTCATGCATAGCAAGGGCT-3′) aptamer with a docking score of −5.959 kcal/mol was considered for 200 ns MD Simulation. Finally, the screened DNA-aptamer was immobilized over the gold surface based on Au-S chemistry and utilized for the detection of AFB₁. The fabricated DNA-aptamer electrode demonstrated a good analytical performance including wide linear range (1.0 to 1000 ng L⁻¹), detection limit (1.0 ng L⁻¹), high stability, and reproducibility.