Non-autofluorescence Detection of H5N1 Virus Using Photochemical Aptamer Sensors Based on Persistent Luminescent Nanoparticles

Fluorescence sensing is limited in practical applications owing to multiple autofluorescent substances in complex biological samples such as serum. In this paper, the luminescence decay effect of persistent luminescent nanoparticles (PLNPs) was used to avoid the interference of autofluorescence in complex biological samples, and a non-autofluorescence molecularly imprinted polymer aptamer sensor (MIP-aptasensor) was designed to detect H5N1 virus. The proposed MIP-aptasensor consists of a magnetic MIP and aptamer-functionalized persistent luminescent nanoparticle Zn2GeO4:Mn2+-H5N1 aptamer (ZGO-H5N1 Apt). Upon simultaneous recognition of H5N1 virus, strong persistent luminescent signal changes were produced. Using the unique luminescent characteristics of PLNPs and the high selectivity of imprinted polymers and aptamers, the designed MIP-aptasensor effectively eliminates the autofluorescence background interference of serum samples and realizes the non-autofluorescence detection of H5N1 virus with high sensitivity (a limit of detection of 0.0128 HAU mL–1, 1.16 fM) and selectivity (the imprinting factor for the target H5N1 virus was 6.72). This tool provides a strategy for the design of sensors and their application in complex biological samples.