Multiplex screening of persistent organic pollutants in fish using spectrally encoded microspheres

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Toxicology

Background:

• Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) pose global health risks as carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.
• Accurate monitoring of POPs is crucial for public health and environmental safety.
• Existing methods for POPs detection can be complex and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid, affordable, and user-friendly multianalyte screening method for POPs.
• To enable multiplex detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs).
• To validate the method using buffer and fish extracts prior to instrumental analysis.

Main Methods:

• Development of a flow cytometric immunoassay (FCIA) utilizing spectrally encoded microbeads.
• Multiplex detection of marker compounds: benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), PCB77, and BDE47.
• Simplified sample preparation and cleanup procedures for fish extracts.

Main Results:

• The three-plex FCIA demonstrated sensitivities comparable to individual assays for marker compounds (IC50 values: BaP 0.4 μg L⁻¹, PCB77 20 μg L⁻¹, BDE47 2 μg L⁻¹).
• The assay successfully detected at least 14 additional POPs beyond the three primary markers.
• Simplified extraction procedures had minimal impact on FCIA performance in fish samples, with slight effects on PAH detection.

Conclusions:

• The developed three-plex FCIA offers a valuable tool for rapid, multianalyte screening of POPs.
• The method's performance is adequate for regulatory control, meeting required limits.
• This approach simplifies sample preparation, making POPs monitoring more accessible and efficient.