Studies on the extraction performance of phorate by aptamer-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles in plasma samples

Phorate, a highly toxic organophosphorus pesticide, poses significant risks due to its efficiency, versatility, and affordability. Therefore, studying pretreatment and detection methods for phorate in complex samples is crucial. In this study, we synthesized core-shell phorate aptamer-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles using solvothermal and self-assembly techniques. Subsequently, we developed a magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction and detection method to identifying phorate in plasma samples. Under optimal conditions, we achieved quantitation of phorate within a range of 2–700 ng·mL−1 using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The detection limit (S/N = 3) was 0.46 ng·mL−1, and the intraday and interday relative standard deviation were 3.4% and 4.1%, respectively. In addition, the material exhibited excellent specificity, an enrichment capacity (EF = 416), and reusability (≥15). During phorate extraction from real plasma samples, spiked recoveries ranged from 86.1% to 101.7%. These results demonstrate that our method offers superior extraction efficiency and detection capability for phorate in plasma samples.