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Optical microalgal biosensors for aqueous contaminants using organically doped silica as cellular hosts

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Abstract

Optical biosensors for the detection of toxic species in aqueous media were developed via the encapsulation of microalgae in sol–gel matrices. In a first step, the effect of cadmium(II), lead(II), and anthracene on the chlorophyll a fluorescence intensity of Anabaena flos-aquae, Chlorella vulgaris, and Euglena gracilis microalgae in suspension was studied. Complementary ATP-metry measurements demonstrated a direct relationship between optical response and pollutant toxicity, in a cell- and dose-dependent manner. In a second step, microalgae were successfully encapsulated in silicate–colloidal silica nanocomposite matrices. However, a complete loss of cell response to pollutant addition was observed, despite the preservation of cell viability. Introduction of a low amount (5 mol%) of amine- or ethyl-bearing silanes in the matrix formulation allowed the recovery of the sensing capacity of the immobilized microalgae, without impacting on the response time (30 s). Porosimetry and 29Si solid-state NMR spectroscopy showed that the organic moieties are fully integrated into the inorganic network, tuning the ability of the target pollutant to diffuse and reach the encapsulated algae. This versatile strategy could be useful for the easy and fast assessment of contamination levels in polluted waters.

Microalgal biosensors for aqueous contaminants using organically doped silica as cellular hosts

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Acknowledgements

N.B.’s PhD studies were funded by the French Ministry for Superior Education and Research. The authors thank G. Thouand (GEnie des Procédés Environnement - Agroalimentaire (GEPEA), Université de Nantes) and B. Lebeau (Institut des Sciences des Matériaux de Mulhouse (ISMM), Université de Haute Alsace) for fruitful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, CNRS, Collège de France, UMR 7574, Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris, 4 place Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France

    Nada Ben Ahmed, Sylvie Masse, Guillaume Laurent & Thibaud Coradin

  2. Sorbonne Paris Cité, Interfaces, Traitements, Organisation et Dynamique des Systèmes, UMR 7086, CNRS, Paris-Diderot University, 15 rue Jean de Baïf, 75013, Paris, France

    Nada Ben Ahmed, Jean-Yves Piquemal & Roberta Brayner

  3. Département RDDM, UMR 7245, Unité MCAM, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France

    Claude Yéprémian

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  1. Nada Ben Ahmed
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  2. Sylvie Masse
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  4. Jean-Yves Piquemal
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Correspondence to Roberta Brayner or Thibaud Coradin.

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Published in the topical collection Microbial Biosensors for Analytical Applications with guest editor Gérald Thouand.

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Ahmed, N.B., Masse, S., Laurent, G. et al. Optical microalgal biosensors for aqueous contaminants using organically doped silica as cellular hosts. Anal Bioanal Chem 410, 1205–1216 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-017-0405-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-017-0405-8

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