Detection of the Carcinogenic Water Pollutant Benzo[a]pyrene with an Electro-Switchable Biosurface

Abstract

The toxic nature of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in particular benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), neccessitates the monitoring of PAH contamination levels in food and the environment. Here we introduce an indirect immunoassay format using electro-switchable biosurfaces (ESB) for the detection of B[a]P in water. The association of anti-B[a]P antibodies to microelectrodes is analyzed in real-time by measuring changes in the oscillation dynamics of DNA nanolever probes, which are driven to switch their orientations by high-frequency electrical actuation. From the association kinetics, the active concentration of anti-B[a]P, and hence the B[a]P contamination of the sample, can be determined with picomolar sensitivity. The detection limit of the assay improves with measurement time because increasingly accurate analyses of the binding kinetics become possible. It is demonstrated that an exceedance of the permissible 10 ng/L (40 pM) limit for B[a]P is detectable in an unprecedented short assay time (<1 h), using a simple three-step workflow involving minimal sample preparation. The reproducibility was satisfying with standard deviations below 5%. Further, the utility of the assay for practical applications is exemplified by analyzing a river water sample.

Nanoporous Gold Films Prepared by a Combination of Sputtering and Dealloying for Trace Detection of Benzo[a]pyrene Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy

“…Based on a dual amplification strategy of PAMAM dendrimer and amino-modified methylene blue/SiO 2 core-shell nanoparticles, a detection limit of 6 pg/mL (about 23.8 pmol·L −1 ) was obtained for the electrochemical immunosensor [27]. An electro-switchable biosurface could detect 10 ng/L (about 40 pmol·L −1 ) BaP by an indirect immunoassay format [28]. The main types of sensors for BaP detection as well as their detection limits are included in Table 1.…”

Carbon‐Rich Monolayers on ITO as Highly Sensitive Platforms for Detecting Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water: The Case of Pyrene

“…Very few electrochemical platforms, mainly based on voltammetric biosensors, have been developed to detect different PAHs due to the trace concentration of these pollutants in water . These devices are basically focused on using electroactive bio‐receptors for immunosensing, for example, benzo[a]pyrene . However, the impedimetric sensing of PAHs still remains an unexplored field.…”

“…[14] These devices are basically focused on using electroactive bio-receptors for immunosensing, for example, benzo[a]pyrene. [15][16][17] However,t he impedimetric sensingo fP AHs still remains an unexplored field.…”

Analytische Chemie – aktuelle Trends im Vergleich zu den historischen Anfängen

“…Ein Beispiel ist in Abbildung dargestellt. Es zeigt das Wirkprinzip des elektroschaltbaren Biorezeptors . Die analytische Messaufgabe ist dabei die quantitative Bestimmung von krebserregendem Benzo[ a ]pyren (BaP) in Trinkwasser.…”