Aptamer for Detecting Diethylhexyl Phthalate and Detection Kit Using the Same

Detection Kit for Diethylhexyl Phthalate Using Nucleic Acid Aptamers

This technology features a single-stranded nucleic acid aptamer that selectively binds to the endocrine disruptor diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), along with a detection kit incorporating it. By attaching labels such as gold nanoparticles or fluorescent substances to the aptamer, DEHP in samples can be identified through signal detection.

Instrumental analysis methods like GC, HPLC, and GC/MS have traditionally been used for DEHP analysis, but they involve complex sample preparation and are costly and time-consuming. Because DEHP is a small molecule, it does not easily trigger immune responses, making it difficult to produce specific antibodies. Furthermore, antibodies are prone to denaturation by heat or pH, which limits quality control.

This technology utilizes chemically stable aptamers as recognition elements to selectively detect DEHP while distinguishing it from structurally similar dibutyl phthalate. It can be applied to monitoring plasticizer residues in food, beverages, groundwater, and plastic products, as well as in field-deployable environmental analysis kits, allowing for rapid and cost-effective screening for DEHP contamination without expensive analytical equipment.

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Key Features:

• An aptamer that specifically binds to diethylhexyl phthalate and consists of the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 or SEQ ID NO: 4
• An aptamer that provides a detection signal by being conjugated with one or more of gold nanoparticles, fluorescent substances, and radioactive isotopes
• A DEHP detection kit comprising a DEHP-specific binding aptamer consisting of the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 or 4
• A step of adding the aptamer to a sample suspected of containing DEHP to obtain a reactant and detecting the aptamer-DEHP complex

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Environment's project for developing direct-reading measurement technology for emerging pollutants entering aquatic ecosystems.

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