This paper presents an analysis method for organophosphorus insecticides based on AChE biosensors coupled with a preconcentration and oxidation on a solid phase column. Three organic solvents, acetonitrile (ACN), ethanol and methanol were tested for their influence on AChE activity, insecticide inhibition and their ability to elute the adsorbed insecticides. Our results showed that ACN in a concentration of 5% (v/v) had the less negative effect on biosensor analysis and was the most appropriate organic solvent for the column elution. The presence of the organic solvent in the incubation media of the biosensor was found to induce a reduction of the inhibition percentages. The inhibition of the biosensors was performed in phosphate buffer with 5% (v/v) ACN, while the initial and remaining response of the biosensors were measured in PBS. In these conditions, the LODs of paraoxon and dichlorvos were measured with or without a preconcentration step. The LODs of the AChE biosensor without sample preconcentration were 8 x 10(-8) M for paraoxon and 1 x 10(-7) M dichlorvos and the LOD obtained after the preconcentration step were 2.5 x 10(-8) M for paraoxon and 2.5 x 10(-8) M for dichlorvos. Moreover, the use of the column allowed the heterogeneous oxidation of organophosphorus insecticides for improved LOD.
Title: Versatile method of cholinesterase immobilisation via affinity bonds using Concanavalin A applied to the construction of a screen-printed biosensor Bucur B, Danet AF, Marty JL Ref: Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 20:217, 2004 : PubMed
Development of new and more reliable methods to immobilise biomolecules has emerged rapidly due to a continuous need for more stable, sensitive and reliable biosensors. This paper reports a new method of acetylcholine-esterase (AChE) immobilisation based on the high affinity interaction between the glycoproteic enzyme and Concanavalin A (Con A). In order to establish the nature of the link formed between the glycoenzyme, lectin and support, three different configurations are presented. The optimum immobilisation procedure was further used for biosensor manufacturing. The non-specific adsorption is around 3% and the chemical cross-linking of the proteins is avoided. The optimised method allows loading of the working electrode surface with different amounts of enzyme ranging from 0.3 to 3.3 mIU with a good operational stability. The sensor showed a linear response range to acetylthiocholine substrate between 10 and 110 micromol l(-1) with a sensitivity of 3.6 mA l mol(-1). The applicability of the method to the detection of organophosphorus insecticides resulted in a detection limit of 10(-8) mol l(-1) for chlorpyriphos.
Title: Flow analysis for determination of paraoxon with use of immobilized acetylcholinesterase reactor and new type of chemiluminescent reaction Danet AF, Badea M, Marty JL, Aboul-Enein HY Ref: Biopolymers, 57:37, 2000 : PubMed
A highly sensitive flow analysis method for determination of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors like organophosphorous pesticides using a new chemiluminescent reaction was developed and optimized. This method is fast, sensitive, and cheap, because it requires only one enzyme and its substrate. The system incorporates a reactor with immobilized AChE on controlled pore glass (CPG) and a chemiluminometric detector. Variations in enzyme activity due to inhibition are measured from the changes of concentrations of thiocholine produced when the substrate (acetylthiocholine chloride) is pumped before and after the passage of the solution containing the pesticide through the immobilized AChE reactor. Thiocholine is determined by a new chemiluminescent reaction with luminol in the presence of potassium ferricyanide. The percentage inhibition of enzyme activity is correlated to the pesticide concentration. The inhibited enzyme is reactivated by 10 mM pyridine-2-aldoxime methiodide (2-PAM). The experimental conditions were first optimized for activity determination of the effect of pH, flow rates, and Tris concentrations. For the measurement of AChE inhibition, the appropriate concentration of the substrate is selected such that the rate of noninhibited reaction can be considered unchanged and could be used as a reference. For optimization of experimental conditions for inhibition, several parameters of the system are studied and discussed: flow rate, enzyme-pesticide contact time, luminol concentration, ferricyanide concentration, 2-PAM concentration, and configuration of the FIA manifold. Paraoxon, an organophosphorous pesticide was tested. For an inhibition time of 10 min the calibration graph is linear from 0.1 to 1 ppm paraoxon with a relative standard deviation (n = 5) of 4.6% at 0.5 ppm. For an inhibition time of 30 min the calibration graph is linear from 25 to 250 ppb paraoxon.
