Highly sensitive fluorescence quantification of picloram using immunorecognition liposome.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Picloram is a persistent, mobile chlorinated herbicide with significant environmental and health risks.
• Accurate and sensitive detection methods are crucial for monitoring picloram contamination.
• Existing analytical techniques may require complex sample preparation or lack sufficient sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, efficient, sensitive, and selective method for picloram analysis.
• To quantify picloram in real wastewater samples.
• To validate the proposed method against established techniques like High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Main Methods:

• Utilized aldehyde group functionalized quartz glass plates for picloram capture via Schiff base reaction.
• Employed liposomes labeled with antibodies to bind picloram.
• Encapsulated fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) within liposomes for fluorescence detection.
• Measured FITC fluorescence using a fluorimeter after release from liposomes.

Main Results:

• Established a linear correlation between fluorescence intensity and the logarithm of picloram concentration (1.0 × 10⁻⁴ to 100 ng mL⁻¹).
• Achieved a low detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ ng mL⁻¹ for picloram.
• Demonstrated accurate picloram quantification in real wastewater samples, with results comparable to HPLC analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers high sensitivity and good selectivity for picloram detection.
• This assay serves as an efficient tool for the quantitative analysis of picloram in environmental samples.
• The proposed technique provides a viable alternative for routine picloram monitoring.