Bioinspired Core-shell nanospheres integrated in multi-signal immunochromatographic sensor for high throughput sensitive detection of Bongkrekic acid in food

Nowadays, notable progress has been achieved in detecting foodborne toxins by employing nanoenzyme-based lateral flow immunoassay (NLFIA) sensors in point-of-care testing (POCT). It continues to be a major challenge to maximize the enzyme-like performance of nanozymes for educe any potential uncertainties in catalytic process. In this study, we employed a facile and efficient self-assembly approach to fabricate nucleoid-shell structured biomimetic nanospheres CuS@Au-Pt (CAP), which demonstrates enhanced brightness of the colorimetric signal, excellent affinity, and excellent peroxidase activity. The integration of CAP with a competitive-assay NLFIA platform enabled sensitive immunochromatographic detection of bongkrekic acid (BA), with LOD as low as 0.66 ng/mL. After signal amplification through enzyme-like reaction, the detection range was extended around 1-fold. Additionally, CAP-NLFIA effectively detected BA with a recovery rate of 80.96–119.36% for real samples. The study proposes using CAP as a signal reporter in a dual-readout LFIA, which can establish a high throughput sensitive detection platform. [Display omitted] •The CAP nanoparticles achieved remarkable intensity and biocompatibility.•The biomimetic nanoparticles(mimicking the activity of a natural enzyme) endowed with enhanced peroxidase-like activity.•The sensors realized rapid and sensitive detection of bongkrek acid.•The sensor can realize signal amplification on demand by enzyme-like reaction.