Label-Free Biosensor Detection of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds Using Engineered Estrogen Receptors

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Biochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) interfere with hormones, causing diseases like cancer and reproductive disorders.
• Current detection methods for EDCs lack the speed and sensitivity required for environmental monitoring.
• Urgent need for rapid, sensitive assays to detect EDCs at trace levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a label-free surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for sensitive detection of specific EDCs.
• To utilize estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) as a bio-recognition element for EDC capture.
• To assess the potential of the SPR assay for evaluating estrogenic activity of unknown substances.

Main Methods:

• A label-free SPR biosensor was designed using a rationally engineered ERα as the bio-recognition element.
• Conformation-sensitive peptides were employed as amplification agents to enhance detection signals.
• The SPR assay was validated using spiked real-world water samples (fish farms, rivers, sea) after solid-phase extraction.

Main Results:

• The SPR biosensor achieved detection of 17β-estradiol (E2) at low parts per billion (ppb) levels.
• Successful detection of E2 in spiked environmental water samples was demonstrated.
• The assay showed promise for screening potential estrogenic activity using ERα mutants.

Conclusions:

• The developed SPR biosensor offers a fast and sensitive method for detecting specific EDCs in environmental samples.
• Combining ERα with conformation-sensitive peptides significantly improves detection sensitivity.
• The SPR assay platform holds potential for risk assessment of estrogenic compounds.