Acetylcholinesterase liquid crystal biosensor for identification of AChE inhibitors by a reactivator

Abstract

An improved acetylcholinesterase liquid crystal (LC) biosensor has been developed for the identification of organophosphates (OPs) by using a reactivator. When the acetylcholinesterases (AChEs) inhibited by different kinds of OPs are reactived by a reactivator, the catalytic activity of AChEs can be recovered with different activation efficiency because of the different phosphorylation structures formed in the inhibited AChEs. Accordingly, the reactived AChEs can catalyze the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine to generate thiocholine product in different degrees, which will result in different catalytic growth of AuNPs and further form distinct orientational response of LCs. Based on such a reactivation mechanism, the AChE LC biosensor with a simple, rapid and visual procedure achieves an obvious identification of three OPs pesticides, methamidophos, trichlorfon and paraoxon, by using a pralidoxime reactivator.