Development of an indirect competitive ELISA for the detection of acenaphthene and pyrene

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Acenaphthene and pyrene were members of 16 PAHs which were listed as the priority pollutants in water environment by US Environmental Protection Agency. The reported instrumental methods and immunoassays did not meet the need for simple and sensitive detection of acenaphthene and pyrene. In this study, a monoclonal antiobody having high affinities with acenaphthene and pyrene was produced and an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for sensitive detection of acenaphthene and pyrene in water sample. The linear range of the assay was between 3.53 and 41.98 ng mL−1. The sensitivity was 12.17 ng mL−1 which was more sensitive than those of reported ELISAs. The average recovery of acenaphthene and pyrene from three kinds of water samples was 99.08% and 98.45, respectively. The developed ELISA could be used for sensitive detection of acenaphthene and pyrene in water samples.