Optical detection of microcystin produced by cyanobacteria

摘要

Microcystin (MC-LR) produced by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) was detected in direct immunoassay with specific monoclonal antibody MC10E7 using an optical method of Total Internal Reflection Ellipsometry (TIRE). The minimal detected concentration of MC-LR of 0.1 ng/ml is a remarkable achievement for direct immunoassay against such low molecular weight analyte molecule. The study of binding kinetics of MC-LR to MC10E7 antibody allowed the evaluation of the association constant KA of about 10~8 (1/Mol) typical for highly specific immune reactions. Concentration of MC-LR in aqueous solutions was reduced using an absorbent made of polyelectrolyte-coated microparticles functionalized with MC10E7 antibodies.