Abstract
An electrochemical DNA-based biosensor is proposed as a fast and easyscreening method for the detection of genotoxic compounds in soil samples. The biosensorwas assembled by immobilising double stranded Calf thymus DNA on screen-printedelectrodes. The interactions between DNA and environmental pollutants can causevariations of the electrochemical proprieties of DNA when they cause a DNA damage.Preliminary studies were performed using benzene, naphthalene and anthracene derivativesas model compounds. The effect of these compounds on the surface-confined DNA wasfound to be linearly related to their concentration in solution. On the other hand, theobjective was to optimise the ultrasonic extraction conditions of these compounds fromartificially spiked soil samples. Then, the applicability of such a biosensor was evaluated byanalysing soil samples from an Italian region with ecological risk (ACNA of Cengio, SV).DNA biosensor for qualitative analysis of soil presented a good correlation with a semiquantitativemethod for aromatic ring systems determination as fixed wavelengthfluorescence and interestingly, according results were found also with other bioassays.This kind of biosensors represent a new, easy and fast way of analysis of polluted sites, therefore they can be used as early warnings devices in areas with ecological risk as in situ measurement.
Highlights
The soil plays a central role within ecosystems and fulfils a multitude of functions
The effect of three benzene, two naphthalene and four anthracene derivatives were analysed in this work with DNA biosensor because widely present in the Associated National Chemical Companies (ACNA) site [8,9,10]: sodium benzenesulfonate, 4-chloroaniline, 3,4-dichloroaniline, 2-naphtylamine, sodium 2naphthalenesulfonate, sodium anthraquinone 2-sulfonate monohydrate, 2-anthracencarboxylic acid, 1,2-diaminoanthraquinone and 2-anthramine (all from Sigma-Aldrich (Milan, Italy))
Different concentrations for each compound were analysed and the inhibition of the guanine oxidation peak increased with analyte concentration (Table 1 and Figure 3)
Summary
The soil plays a central role within ecosystems and fulfils a multitude of functions (as a habitat and with regulatory and production functions). Pollutants can adversely affect these functions, they can move to other media and cause damage to other components of the ecosystem. Soil contamination comprises either solid or liquid hazardous substances becoming mixed with the naturally occurring soil. Soil contamination results when hazardous substances are either spilled or buried directly in the soil or migrate to the soil from a spill that has occurred elsewhere. Another source of soil contamination could become from water flowing nearby soils containing hazardous substances
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