Detection of Mercury Ions at ng/L Scale by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) on DNA Aptamer Biochips
Abstract
Mercury pollution is an important environmental problem due to its toxicity for humans, even at very low concentrations. Presently, several methods enable the detection of this element at environmental concentration. Although sufficiently sensitive in most cases, measurements are typically made punctually. We present here the development of a continuous flow detection system for two mercury forms: the mercuric ion (Hg²⁺) and the methylmercury ion (CH₃-Hg⁺). We used a compact SPR device based on gold chips functionalized with tailored aptamers. Leveraging the specific affinity between DNA aptamers and mercuric ions, this reliable technique allowed the detection of mercuric ion concentrations in the ng/L range. The high sensitivity is attributed to the expected DNA folding into a hairpin shape in the presence of mercuric ions. Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy confirmed that a conformational change in the DNA occurs starting from 3 mercuric ions per aptamer. Below this threshold (1 or 2 ions), the strand does not fold, whereas from 3 ions onwards, folding is observed. This study highlights the strong potential of compact SPR associated with specific DNA aptamers for the realization of a portable real-time detection device.
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BibTeX
@article{elie2026detection,
title = {{Detection of Mercury Ions at ng/L Scale by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) on DNA Aptamer Biochips}},
author = {Antoine Elie and Yann Niberon and Aurélien Bruyant and Laurent Arnaud and Claudia Cosio and Julien Proust},
journal = {Journal of Physical Chemistry C},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c04764},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05252409v2},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Detection of Mercury Ions at ng/L Scale by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) on DNA Aptamer Biochips
AU - Antoine Elie
AU - Yann Niberon
AU - Aurélien Bruyant
AU - Laurent Arnaud
AU - Claudia Cosio
AU - Julien Proust
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/20
JO - Journal of Physical Chemistry C
DO - 10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c04764
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05252409v2
AB - Mercury pollution is an important environmental problem due to its toxicity for humans, even at very low concentrations. Presently, several methods enable the detection of this element at environmental concentration. Although sufficiently sensitive in most cases, measurements are typically made punctually. We present here the development of a continuous flow detection system for two mercury forms: the mercuric ion (Hg²⁺) and the methylmercury ion (CH₃-Hg⁺). We used a compact SPR device based on gold chips functionalized with tailored aptamers. Leveraging the specific affinity between DNA aptamers and mercuric ions, this reliable technique allowed the detection of mercuric ion concentrations in the ng/L range. The high sensitivity is attributed to the expected DNA folding into a hairpin shape in the presence of mercuric ions. Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy confirmed that a conformational change in the DNA occurs starting from 3 mercuric ions per aptamer. Below this threshold (1 or 2 ions), the strand does not fold, whereas from 3 ions onwards, folding is observed. This study highlights the strong potential of compact SPR associated with specific DNA aptamers for the realization of a portable real-time detection device.
SN - 1932-7447
SN - 1932-7455
ER -