A comprehensive review of biosensors for environmental estrogens: Design and performance

Environmental estrogens (EEs) persist ubiquitously in the environment, posing significant threat to human health and ecosystems. Over recent decades, biosensors have emerged as pivotal tools for EEs detection, the advancement of nanomaterials and signal amplification strategies has substantially enhanced biosensor performance, enabling properly designed systems to achieve detection capabilities comparable to, or exceeding, those of traditional methods. This review summarises common signal amplification techniques employed in EEs biosensors and compares the performance differences stemming from the choice of bio-recognition materials and transducers. Among bio-recognition materials, both aptamers and antibodies enable low limits of detection (LOD), while aptamers provide wider linear ranges. Enzymes, in contrast, offer advantages for rapid detection. Regarding different transducers, published reports indicate that electrochemiluminescent (ECL) biosensors tend to achieve lower median LODs and broader median linear ranges, though some overlap exists with other transducers. Meanwhile, amperometric biosensors exhibit the shortest median detection times. The performance differences summarized here for bio-recognition materials and transducers provide valuable guidance for selecting appropriate biosensor configurations based on specific detection requirements.