The potential use of a thin film gold electrode modified with laccases for the electrochemical detection of pyrethroid metabolite 3-phenoxybenzaldehyde

Abstract

There is increasing interest in developing portable technologies to detect human health threats through hybrid materials that integrate specific bioreceptors. This work proposes an electrochemical approach for detecting 3-Phenoxybenzaldehyde (3-PBD), a biomarker for monitoring human exposure to pyrethroid pesticides. The biosensor uses laccase enzymes as an alternative recognition element by direct oxidation of 3-PBD catalysts by the enzyme onto thin-film gold elec-trodes. The thin-film gold electrode modified by the immobilized laccase was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. The detection method’s electrochemical parameters were established, obtaining a linear range of 5 t 50 µM, the limit of detection, and quantification of 0.061 and 2.02 µM, respectively. The proposed biosensor’s analytical performance meets the concentration of pyrethroids detected in natural environments, reflecting its potential as an alternative analytical tool for monitoring the pyrethroid insecticide’s presence.