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Electrochemical impedance biosensor for detection of saxitoxin in aqueous solution

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Abstract

Saxitoxin is a cyanotoxin which is very harmful to human health; the concentration limit in drinking water is only 3 μg/L. Therefore, a simple, fast, sensitive, low-cost, and specific method for its detection, quantification, and monitoring in water bodies is needed to avoid adverse effects on animal and human health. In this work, we developed an electrochemical impedimetric biosensor using a specific aptamer as recognition element for saxitoxin detection. This method allies the superior sensing characteristics of aptamers with the nondestructive, label-free, and easy working principles of the electrochemical impedance technique. The device presented sensitivity for detecting saxitoxin concentrations above 0.3 μg/L, with high selectivity in negative control experiments, demonstrating a promising alternative for water toxin detection.

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Funding

This work received financial support from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina (FAPESC), and Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Eletrônica Orgânica (INCT/INEO).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil

    Pablo C. Serrano, Gisele E. Nunes, Lindiomar B. Avila Jr, Carleane P.S. Reis, Aldo M.C. Gomes, Françoise T. Reis, Maria L. Sartorelli & Ivan H. Bechtold

  2. Centro de Estudos do Mar, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Pontal do Paraná, PR, 83255-976, Brazil

    Silvia Pedroso Melegari

  3. Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil

    William G. Matias

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  1. Pablo C. Serrano
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  2. Gisele E. Nunes
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  3. Lindiomar B. Avila Jr
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Correspondence to Ivan H. Bechtold.

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Serrano, P.C., Nunes, G.E., Avila, L.B. et al. Electrochemical impedance biosensor for detection of saxitoxin in aqueous solution. Anal Bioanal Chem 413, 6393–6399 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-021-03603-1

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