A Simple Metallothionein-Based Biosensor for Enhanced Detection of Arsenic and Mercury
Open Access
- 13 March 2017
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Biosensors
- Vol. 7 (1), 14
- https://doi.org/10.3390/bios7010014
Abstract
Metallothioneins (MTs) are a family of cysteine-rich proteins whose biological roles include the regulation of essential metal ions and protection against the harmful effects of toxic metals. Due to its high affinity for many toxic, soft metals, recombinant human MT isoform 1a was incorporated into an electrochemical-based biosensor for the detection of As3+ and Hg2+. A simple design was chosen to maximize its potential in environmental monitoring and MT was physically adsorbed onto paper discs placed on screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs). This system was tested with concentrations of arsenic and mercury typical of contaminated water sources ranging from 5 to 1000 ppb. The analytical performance of the MT-adsorbed paper discs on SPCEs demonstrated a greater than three-fold signal enhancement and a lower detection limit compared to blank SPCEs, 13 ppb for As3+ and 45 ppb for Hg2+. While not being as low as some of the recommended drinking water limits, the sensitivity of the simple MT-biosensor would be potentially useful in monitoring of areas of concern with a known contamination problem. This paper describes the ability of the metal binding protein metallothionein to enhance the effectiveness of a simple, low-cost electrochemical sensor.Keywords
Funding Information
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (37-2015)
This publication has 54 references indexed in Scilit:
- Impact of biomass fuels on pregnancy outcomes in central East IndiaEnvironmental Health, 2014
- Oxidation reactivity of zinc–cysteine clusters in metallothioneinJBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, 2013
- Arsenicosis in Cambodia: Case studies and policy responseApplied Geochemistry, 2008
- Arsenic in Groundwaters of South-East Asia: With Emphasis on Cambodia and VietnamApplied Geochemistry, 2008
- Gold mining related mercury contamination in Tongguan, Shaanxi Province, PR ChinaApplied Geochemistry, 2006
- Complexing of Heavy Metals with DNA and New Bioaffinity Method of Their Determination Based on Amperometric DNA-Based BiosensorAnalytical Chemistry, 2005
- Biosensors for heavy metalsBioMetals, 2005
- The geochemical characteristics of mine-waste calcines and runoff from the Wanshan mercury mine, Guizhou, ChinaApplied Geochemistry, 2004
- Interaction of Trivalent Arsenicals with MetallothioneinChemical Research in Toxicology, 2003
- Studies on the binding of methylmercury by thioneinBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1973