Screening of Endocrine Disrupting Potential of Surface Waters via an Affinity-Based Biosensor in a Rural Community in the Yellow River Basin, China

Overcoming the limitations of traditional analytical methods and developing technologies to continuously monitor environments and produce a comprehensive picture of potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been an ongoing challenge. Herein, we developed a portable nuclear receptor (NR) based biosensor within 90 min to perform highly sensitive analyses of a broad range of EDCs in environmental water samples. Based on the specific binding of the fluorescence-labeled NRs with their ligands, the receptors were attached to the EDC-functionalized fiber surface by competing with EDCs in the samples. The biosensor emitted fluorescence due to the evanescent wave excitation, thereby resulting in a turn-off sensing mode. The biosensor showed a detection limit of 5 ng/L E-2-binding activity equivalent (E-2-BAE) and 93 ng/L T3-BAE. As a case study, the biosensor was used to map the estrogenic binding activities of surface waters obtained from a rural community in the Yellow River basin in China. When the results obtained were compared with those from the traditional yeast two-hybrid bioassay, a high correlation was observed. It is anticipated that the good universality and versatility exhibited by this biosensor for various EDCs, which is achieved by using different NRs, will significantly promote the continuous assessment of global EDCs.

Automated summary

In this study, a portable nuclear receptor-based biosensor was developed for highly sensitive analysis of a wide range of potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in environmental water samples. The biosensor showed a detection limit of 5 ng/L E-2-binding activity equivalent (E-2-BAE) and 93 ng/L T3-BAE. The biosensor was used to map the estrogenic binding activities of surface waters from a rural community in the Yellow River basin in China, and a high correlation was observed when compared with the traditional yeast two-hybrid bioassay.