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Determination of organophosphate pesticides using an acetylcholinesterase-based biosensor based on a boron-doped diamond electrode modified with gold nanoparticles and carbon spheres

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Abstract

We report on a biosensor for organophosphate pesticides (OPs) by exploiting their inhibitory effect on the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). A boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode was modified with a nanocomposite prepared from carbon spheres (CSs; with an average diameter of 500 nm) that were synthesized from resorcinol and formaldehyde, and then were coated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by chemically growing them of the CSs. Compared to a bare BDD electrode, the electron transfer resistance is lower on this new electrode. Compared to an electrode without Au-NPs, the peak potential is negatively shifted by 42 mV, and the peak current is increased by 55 %. This is ascribed to the larger surface in the AuNP-CS nanocomposite which improves the adsorption of AChE, enhances its activity, and facilitates electrocatalysis. Under optimum conditions, the inhibitory effect of chlorpyrifos is linearly related to the negative log of its concentration in the 10−11 to 10−7 M range, with a detection limit of 1.3 × 10−13 M. For methyl parathion, the inhibition effect is linear in the 10−12 to 10−6 M range, and the detection limit is 4.9 × 10−13 M. The biosensor exhibits good precision and acceptable operational and temporal stability.

A novel acetylcholinesterase-based biosensor based on a boron-doped diamond electrode modified with gold nanoparticles and carbon spheres was firstly prepared to detect organophosphate pesticides. This biosensor exhibited higher sensitivity, lower detection limit, good reproducibility and acceptable stability.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21105022), Doctor Foundation of Henan University of Technology (2010BS019), and Plan for Scientific Innovation Talent of Henan University of Technology (2012CXRC01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Food Science and Technology, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450052, People’s Republic of China

    Min Wei, Gaoying Zeng & Qiyu Lu

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  1. Min Wei
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  2. Gaoying Zeng
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  3. Qiyu Lu
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Correspondence to Qiyu Lu.

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Wei, M., Zeng, G. & Lu, Q. Determination of organophosphate pesticides using an acetylcholinesterase-based biosensor based on a boron-doped diamond electrode modified with gold nanoparticles and carbon spheres. Microchim Acta 181, 121–127 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-013-1078-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-013-1078-4

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