Rapid and ultrasensitive detection of endocrine disrupting chemicals using a nanosensor-enabled cell-based platform

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interact with estrogen receptors (ERs), causing a broad range of adverse health effects. Current assays for EDC activity are slow and often lack sensitivity. We report here an ultra-sensitive nanosensor that can detect estrogenic cellular changes in ER(+) MCF-7 cells rapidly (minutes) at several orders of magnitude lower than the generally used assays. Notably, the sensor responses at these ultra-low EDC levels correlated with an increased synthesis phase (S-phase) cell population of EDC-treated cells. The nanosensor was also able to detect binary EDC mixture effects, with synergism observed for bisphenol A (BPA) - 17β-estradiol (E2), and antagonism for dicyclohexylphthalate (DCHP) - E2 and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) - E2.