Flow injection immunosensing of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with a quartz crystal microbalance Original Research Article

A piezoelectric immunosensor has been developed for the detection of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The antigen (benzo[a]pyrene–BSA conjugate, BaP–BSA) was immobilized through thioctic acid on gold coated quartz crystals, with a basic resonant frequency of 10 MHz. The monoclonal antibody 10c10 (mAb10c10), which specifically recognizes benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), was detected through frequency decreases (mass increase due to the immunoreaction). Determination of BaP was performed in the flow injection system by using a competitive pattern, in which BaP reacted with the bound mAb10c10 causing frequency increases. A nanomolar level of BaP can be detected with this immunosensor. The mAb10c10 modified quartz crystal cross-reacts with pyrene and naphthalene.