Development of a receptor based signal amplified fluorescence polarization assay for multi-detection of 35 sulfonamides in pork

With the increasing focus on food security, a screening method with high-throughput, ultra-sensitivity, and user-friendly operation is urgently needed for monitoring of sulfonamides residues in animal-derived foods. In this study, the sulfonamides’ receptor dihydropteroate synthase of Staphylococcus aureus was subjected to saturate mutation, and a mutant with higher affinities for sulfonamides was obtained. The mutant was then used as recognition material to establish a fluorescence polarization assay for determination of 35 sulfonamides in pork. Due to the use of an enhanced fluorescent tracer containing two fluorophore molecules, the sensitivities for the 35 sulfonamides were improved for 2.8–8.6 folds (LODs 0.03–1.16 ng/mL) in comparison with using conventional fluorescent tracer.   The present method outperformed all previous fluorescence polarization (immuno)assays for sulfonamides due to its broader spectrum, higher sensitivity, and shorter assay time. Furthermore, this is the first study reporting an enhanced fluorescence polarization assay for determination of small molecule substance.