Highly selective and cost-effective impedimetric biosensor for cylindrospermopsin detection using an...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Harmful cyanobacterial blooms, fueled by eutrophication and climate change, release potent cyanotoxins like cylindrospermopsin (CYN).
• CYN poses significant genotoxic and cytotoxic risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health, necessitating effective detection methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective and sustainable electrochemical aptasensor for detecting CYN.
• To immobilize a CYN-specific aptamer (cynApt) onto a pencil graphite electrode (PGE) for sensitive CYN detection.

Main Methods:

• Development of an electrochemical aptasensor by immobilizing cynApt onto a PGE.
• Detection of CYN using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) by measuring changes in charge transfer resistance.
• Testing sensor selectivity against other common cyanotoxins.

Main Results:

• The PGE/cynApt aptasensor demonstrated sensitive detection of CYN with limits of detection as low as 0.78 ng mL⁻¹ in deionized water.
• A linear detection range of 1-20 ng mL⁻¹ was established for CYN.
• The aptasensor exhibited good selectivity for CYN over other tested cyanotoxins in both deionized and lake water samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed electrochemical aptasensor offers a sustainable and efficient platform for CYN detection in freshwater.
• This sensor provides a viable alternative to expensive gold or graphene-based sensors for environmental monitoring.
• The findings support the use of this aptasensor for safeguarding public health from cyanotoxin contamination.