Monovalent labeling system improves the sensitivity of aptamer-based inhibition assays for small molecule detection

The design and performance of an inhibition assay for the electrochemical detection of tobramycin is reported. This platform uses a monovalent system for introducing the enzyme conjugate on a tagged-aptamer that specifically recognizes the aminoglycoside antibiotic tobramycin. Compared with multivalent systems such as biotin–streptavidin, the sensitivity is greatly improved reducing the limit of detection from 5 μM to 0.1 μM in aqueous solution. This labeling strategy along with the use of a nuclease-resistant RNA aptamer allowed the determination of tobramycin in pre-treated human serum samples within the therapeutic range, using magnetic microparticles as a solid support for the aptassay, and differential pulse voltammetry as detection technique.