A versatile strategy for constructing background fluorescence-free and dual-mode hydrogel nanosensor for sensitive detection of amikacin

Kangran Li; Wenshuai Guo; Hao Yu; Caidie Chang; Jiawei Zhu; Kai Dai; Changlong Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2025.128410

A versatile strategy for constructing background fluorescence-free and dual-mode hydrogel nanosensor for sensitive detection of amikacin

Talanta. 2025 May 28:296:128410. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2025.128410. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kangran Li¹, Wenshuai Guo¹, Hao Yu¹, Caidie Chang¹, Jiawei Zhu², Kai Dai³, Changlong Jiang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Pollutant Sensitive Materials and Environmental Remediation, Anhui Province Industrial Generic Technology Research Center for Alumics Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Information, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, 235000, China.
² Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Pollutant Sensitive Materials and Environmental Remediation, Anhui Province Industrial Generic Technology Research Center for Alumics Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Information, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, 235000, China. Electronic address: zjw1584038799@mail.ustc.edu.cn.
³ Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Pollutant Sensitive Materials and Environmental Remediation, Anhui Province Industrial Generic Technology Research Center for Alumics Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Information, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, 235000, China. Electronic address: daikai940@chnu.edu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China. Electronic address: cljiang@iim.ac.cn.

PMID: 40460684
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2025.128410

Abstract

The portable sensing platform based on fluorescent test strips has garnered considerable attention due to its advantages of portability, rapid response, and visual analysis. There still have challenges such as probe immobilization during the strip printing process, background fluorescence, and single-mode response. On this basis, a proof-of-concept background-free and dual-mode response hydrogel nanosensor is developed for colorimetric and luminescent detection of amikacin (AMK). The hydrogel nanosensor is prepared based on polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel, embedded with upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and congo red (CR). The ion-association reaction between CR and AMK leads to color fading and the restoration of green emission of UCNPs. Compared to traditional paper-based sensors, this hydrogel nanosensor provides a stable liquid-phase detection environment, maintains sensitivity, and avoids background fluorescence through near-infrared excited UCNPs, thereby improving detection accuracy. Furthermore, a portable sensing platform is developed to realize point-of-care, real-time quantitative detection of AMK, with a limit of detection of 1.3 nM. The designed hydrogel nanosensor, featuring dual-signal response and no background interference, offers a versatile sensing strategy for portable, visual, and highly sensitive detection of drug safety and food contaminants.

Keywords: Amikacin; Background-free detection; Dual-mode probe; Upconversion-based nanoprobe; Visual quantitative sensing.