Exploring the Use of a Lipopeptide in Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine Monolayers for Enhanced Detection of Glyphosate in Aqueous Environments

Abstract

The growing reliance on pesticides for pest management in agriculture highlights the need for new analytical methods to detect these substances in food and water. Our research introduces a SPRWG-(C18H37) lipopeptide (LP) as a functional analog of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) for glyphosate detection in environmental samples using phosphatidylcholine (PC) monolayers. This LP, containing hydrophilic amino acids linked to an 18-carbon aliphatic chain, alters lipid assembly properties, leading to a more flexible system. Changes included reduced molecular area and peak pressure in Langmuir adsorption isotherms. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses provided insights into the LP’s structural organization within the membrane and its interaction with glyphosate (PNG). Structural and geometric parameters, as derived from in silico molecular dynamics simulations (MD), substantiated the impact of LP on the monolayer structure and the interaction with PNG. Notably, the presence of the LP and glyphosate increased charge transfer resistance, indicating strong adherence of the monolayer to the indium tin oxide (ITO) surface and effective pesticide interaction. A calibration curve for glyphosate concentration adjustment revealed a detection limit (LOD) of 24 nmol L-1, showcasing the high sensitivity of this electrochemical biosensor. This LOD is significantly lower than that of a similar colorimetric biosensor in aqueous media with a detection limit of approximately 0.3 μmol L-1. Such an improvement in sensitivity likely stems from adding a polar residue to the amino acid chain of the LP.