Addressing the analytical challenges for the detection of ciguatoxins using an electrochemical biosensor

The importance of ciguatoxins (CTXs) in seafood safety and their emerging occurrence in locations far away from tropical areas highlight the need for simple and low-cost methods for the sensitive and rapid detection of these potent marine toxins to protect seafood consumers. Herein, an electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of CTXs is presented. A sandwich configuration is proposed, using magnetic beads (MBs) as immobilisation supports for two capture antibodies, with their combination facilitating the detection of CTX1B, CTX3C, 54-deoxyCTX1B and 51-hydroxyCTX3C. PolyHRP-streptavidin is used for the detection of the biotinylated detector antibody. Experimental conditions are first optimised using colorimetry, and these conditions are subsequently used for electrochemical detection on electrode arrays. Limits of detection at the pg/mL level are achieved for CTX1B and 51-hydroxyCTX3C. The applicability of the immunosensor to the analysis of fish samples is demonstrated, attaining detection of CTX1B at contents as low as 0.01 µg/kg, and providing results in correlation with those obtained using mouse bioassay (MBA) and cell-based assay (CBA), as well as liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-HRMS). This user-friendly bioanalytical tool for the rapid detection of CTXs can be used to mitigate ciguatera risk and contribute to the protection of consumer health.