Wash-Free Multiplexed Mix-and-Read Suspension Array Fluorescence Immunoassay for Anthropogenic Markers in Wastewater

Pharmaceuticals, certain food ingredients, and mammalian endogenous metabolic products in wastewater are mostly of human origin. They are anthropogenic markers. Proper knowledge of their levels in wastewater helps to track sources of pollutants in natural waters and allows for calculation of removal efficiencies in wastewater treatment plants. Here, we describe the development and application of an indirect competitive, multiplexing suspension array fluorescence immunoassay (SAFIA) for the detection of carbamazepine (CBZ), diclofenac (DCF), caffeine (CAF), and isolithocholic acid (ILA) in wastewater, covering those classes of anthropogenic markers. The assay consists of haptens covalently conjugated to fluorescence-encoded polystyrene core/silica shell microparticles to create a site for competitive binding of the antibodies (Abs). Bound Abs are then stained with fluorophore-labeled Abs. Encoding and signaling fluorescence of the particles are determined by an automated flow cytometer. For compatibility of the immunoassay with the 96-well microtiter plate format, a stop reagent, containing formaldehyde, is used. This enables a wash-free procedure while decreasing time-to-result. Detection limits of 140 ± 40 ng/L for CBZ, 180 ± 110 ng/L for CAF, 4 ± 3 ng/L for DCF, and 310 ± 70 ng/L for ILA are achieved, which meet the sensitivity criteria of wastewater analysis. We demonstrate the applicability of SAFIA to real wastewater samples from three different wastewater treatment plants, finding the results in good agreement with LC-MS/MS. Moreover, the accuracy in general exceeded that from classical ELISAs. We therefore propose SAFIA as a quick and reliable approach for wastewater analysis meeting the requirements for process analytical technology.