Magnetic beads-based bioelectrochemical immunoassay of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

A simple, rapid, and sensitive bioelectrochemical immunoassay method based on magnetic beads (MBs) has been developed to detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The principle of this bioassay is based on a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using PAH-antibody-coated MBs and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled PAH (HRP-PAH). A magnetic process platform was used to mix and shake the samples during the immunoreactions and to separate free and unbound reagents after the liquid-phase competitive immunoreaction among PAH-antibody-coated MBs, PAH analyte, and HRP-PAH. After a complete immunoassay, the HRP tracers attached to MBs were transferred to a substrate solution containing 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) for electrochemical detection. The voltammetric characteristics of the substrate were investigated, and the reduction peak current of TMB was used to quantify the concentration of PAH. The different parameters, including the amount of HRP-PAH conjugates, the enzyme catalytic reaction time, and the pH of the supporting electrolyte that governs the analytical performance of the immunoassay have been studied in detail and optimized. The detection limit of 50 pg mL⁻¹ was obtained under optimum experimental conditions. The performance of this bioelectrochemical magnetic immunoassay was successfully evaluated with tap water spiked with PAHs, indicating that this convenient and sensitive technique offers great promise for decentralized environmental applications.     

Bioelectrochemical Magnetic Immunosensing of Trichloropyridinol: A Potential Insecticide Biomarker

A fast, simple and sensitive bioelectrochemical magnetic immunosensing method is developed to monitor a potential insecticide biomarker, trichloropyridinol (TCP), in environmental sample. A magnet/glassy carbon (MGC) working electrode was used to accumulate immunocomplex associated magnetic beads and separate free and unbound reagents after liquid phase competitive immunoreaction among TCP antibody coated magnetic beads, TCP analyte and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled TCP. The activity of HRP tracers was monitored by square‐wave voltammetry (SWV) by scanning electrocactive enzymatic product in the presence of 3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethylbenzidine dihydrochloride and hydrogen peroxide (TMB‐H₂O₂) substrate solution. The electrochemical signal of enzymatic product was greatly enhanced by dual accumulation events: magnetic accumulation of enzyme tracers bound magnetic beads and constant potential accumulation of enzymatic product. The voltammetric characteristics of substrate and enzymatic product were investigated, and the parameters of SWV analysis and immunoassay were optimized. Under the optimal conditions the immunosensor was used to measure as low as 5 ng L^?1 (ppt) TCP, which is 50‐fold lower than the value indicated by the manufacture of the TCP RaPID Assay kit (0.25 μg/L, colorimetric detection). The performance of the developed immunosensing system was successfully evaluated with river water samples spiked with TCP, indicating this convenient and sensitive technique offers great promise for decentralized environmental application. This technique could be readily used for detection of other environmental contaminants by developing specific antibodies against the contaminants and are expected to open new opportunities for environmental monitoring and public health.     

A rapid and highly sensitive portable chemiluminescent immunosensor of carcinoembryonic antigen based on immunomagnetic separation in human serum

To detect a biomarker for lung cancer, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a highly sensitive, selective, rapid and portable immunosensor based on immunomagnetic separation and chemiluminescence immunoassay was introduced. A sandwich scheme assay has been utilized with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled anti-CEA antibody and immunomagnetic beads (IMBs). The presence of target protein CEA caused the formation of the sandwich structures (IMBs-CEA-HRP labeled antibody). IMBs were applied to capture CEA and immobilize CEA through the external magnetic field. The HRP at the surface of the antibody catalytically oxidized the luminescence substrate to generate optical signals which were detected by a portable home-made luminometer and which were directly proportional to the concentration of CEA in the samples. The signals were dependent on CEA concentrations in a linear range from 0 to 50 ng mL⁻¹. The limit of detection (LOD) of this method was as low as 5.0 pg mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The novel immunosensor was highly sensitive with an assay time of <35 min. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were <10%. The anti-CEA antibody can be bound to the bead efficiently with a conjugation rate of 73%. IMBs could be stored in 4 °C protecting from light for 2 months without obvious reduction of biological activity. Human reference sera mixed with various concentrations of CEA were tested with the proposed method and commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, and a good linear relationship was obtained. This proposed technique demonstrated an excellent performance for quantifying CEA and was expected to be used for clinical testing.     

Investigation of voltammetric enzyme-linked immunoassay based on a new system of HAP-H2O2-HRP

By introducing heterocyclic compound to immunoassay system as an electrochemical substrate for the fist time, a new voltammetric enzyme-linked immunoassay system of 3-hydroxyl-2-aminopyridine (HAP)-H(2)O(2)-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) has been developed. HAP was oxidized with H(2)O(2) catalyzed by HRP, and the resulting electroactive product produced a sensitive voltammetric peak at potential of -0.36 V (vs. SCE) in Britton-Robinson (BR) buffer solution. The process of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction and the electro-reduction of the product have been investigated in detail. The linear range for detection of free HRP was from 4.0x10(-13) to 1.0x10(-9) g/mL with a detection limit of 1.2x10(-13) g/mL. The new system has been successfully applied for the assay of alpha-fetoprotein (alphaFP) in human serum ranging from 0.1 to 200 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.1 ng/mL, which was 10 times lower than that of traditional spectrophotometric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. HAP-H(2)O(2)-HRP voltammetric enzyme-linked immunoassay showed a promising alternative approach in the detection of alphaFP in clinical diagnosis.     

Comparative study of three immunoassays based on monoclonal antibodies for detection of the pesticide parathion-methyl in real samples

Three immunoassay systems: indirect, direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IC-ELISA and DC-ELISA), fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) based on monoclonal antibodies for the detection of parathion-methyl (PM) were developed and optimized. Several PM derivatives (haptens) were conjugated to proteins and fluoresceinthiocarbamyl ethylenediamine (EDF) to obtain immunogens and competitors. The influence of immunogen and competitor structures on the assay performance was investigated. IC-ELISA was the most sensitive of all techniques developed, with a detection limit of 0.08 ng ml⁻¹, but assay time was the longest (3.5 h per 96-well microtitre plate). DC-ELISA was easier to perform and quicker (1.5 h per 96-well microtitre plate) but less sensitive than IC-ELISA (detection limit was 0.5 ng ml⁻¹). FPIA was the fastest and simplest (7 min per 10 samples) but the least sensitive (detection limit was 15 ng ml⁻¹) technique. The methods were characterized by high specificity and reproducibility. The cross-reactivity for parathion-ethyl was around 30-40% for IC-ELISA and FPIA, but significantly higher (125%) for DC-ELISA. The immunoassays were applied to the analysis of PM residues in different food and environmental matrices. Methanol extracts of vegetable, fruit and soil samples were used for the analysis. Recoveries for most spiked samples averaged between 85 and 110%. The methods developed can be used for screening of food and environmental samples for PM residues without complicated clean-up.     

Electrochemical immunoassay using magnetic beads for the determination of zearalenone in baby food: An anticipated analytical tool for food safety

In this work, electrochemical immunoassay involving magnetic beads to determine zearalenone in selected food samples has been developed. The immunoassay scheme has been based on a direct competitive immunoassay method in which antibody-coated magnetic beads were employed as the immobilisation support and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used as enzymatic label. Amperometric detection has been achieved through the addition of hydrogen peroxide substrate and hydroquinone as mediator.Analytical performance of the electrochemical immunoassay has been evaluated by analysis of maize certified reference material (CRM) and selected baby food samples. A detection limit (LOD) of 0.011 μg L⁻¹ and EC₅₀ 0.079 μg L⁻¹ were obtained allowing the assessment of the detection of zearalenone mycotoxin. In addition, an excellent accuracy with a high recovery yield ranging between 95 and 108% has been obtained. The analytical features have shown the proposed electrochemical immunoassay to be a very powerful and timely screening tool for the food safety scene.     

3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB)-H2O2-HRP voltammetric enzyme-linked immunoassay for the detection of carcionembryonic antigen

A new voltammetric enzyme-linked immunoassay system of 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB)-H2O2-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) has been presented and used for the sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in human serum. In this proposed procedure, DAB was firstly used as the electroactive substrate in the HRP catalyzed oxidation reaction in the present of H2O2. The generated product produced a sensitive second-order derivative linear sweep voltammetric peak at potential of -0.62 V (vs. SCE) in Britton-Robinson (BR) buffer solution. The free HRP could be measured in a linear range from 2.5 x 10(-6)-2.5 x 10(-2) unit/ml and a detection limit of about 1.5 x 10(-6) unit/ml. Under the optimal experiment conditions, CEA could be detected in the linear range from 0.50 to 80 ng/ml with a detection limit of 0.5 ng/ml. The proposed electrochemical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method is simple, inexpensive, reproducible and sensitive, which shows promising for detecting CEA in the clinical diagnosis.     

Sequential injection/electrochemical immunoassay for quantifying the pesticide metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol

An automated and sensitive sequential injection electrochemical immunoassay was developed to monitor a potential insecticide biomarker, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol. The current method involved a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system equipped with a thin-layer electrochemical flow cell and permanent magnet, which was used to fix 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) antibody coated magnetic beads (TCP-Ab-MBs) in the reaction zone. After competitive immunoreactions among TCP-Ab-MBs, TCP analyte, and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled TCP, a 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine dihydrochloride and hydrogen peroxide (TMB-H₂O₂) substrate solution was injected to produce an electroactive enzymatic product. The activity of HRP tracers was monitored by a square wave voltammetric scanning electroactive enzymatic product in the thin-layer flow cell. The voltammetric characteristics of the substrate and the enzymatic product were investigated under batch conditions, and the parameters of the immunoassay were optimized in the SIA system. Under the optimal conditions, the system was used to measure as low as 6 ng L⁻¹(ppt) TCP, which is around 50-fold lower than the value indicated by the manufacturer of the TCP RaPID Assay^® kit (0.25 μg/L, colorimetric detection). The performance of the developed immunoassay system was successfully evaluated on tap water and river water samples spiked with TCP. This technique could be readily used for detecting other environmental contaminants by developing specific antibodies against contaminants and is expected to open new opportunities for environmental and biological monitoring.     

Improvement of analytical performances of a disposable electrochemical immunosensor by using magnetic beads

A comparison of two electrochemical immunosensing strategies for PCBs detection, based on the use of two different solid phases, is here discussed. In both cases, carbon-based screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) are used as transducers in a direct competitive immunoassay scheme, where PCBs in solution compete with the tracer PCB28-alkaline phosphatase (AP) labeled for antibodies immobilized onto the solid-phase.In the standard format (called EI strategy), SPEs are both the solid-phase for immunoassay and electrochemical transducers: in this case the immunochemical reaction occurs onto the working electrode. Finally, the enzymatic substrate is added and an electroactive product is generated and detected by electrochemical measurement. In order to improve the performances of the system, a new approach (called EMI strategy) is developed by using functionalized magnetic beads as solid phase for the competitive assay; only after the immunosensing step they are captured by a magnet onto the working surface of the SPE for the electrochemical detection.Experimental results evidenced that the configuration based on the use of separate surfaces for immunoassay and for electrochemical detection gave the best results in terms of sensitivity and speed of the analysis. The improvement of analytical performances of the immunosensor based on EMI strategy was also demonstrated by the analysis of some spiked samples.     

OAP-H~2O~2-HRP伏安酶联免疫分析新体系测定人血清铁蛋白

首次提出邻氨基酚(OAP)-H~2O~2-辣根过氧化物酶(HRP)伏安酶联免疫分析新体系并用于人血清中铁蛋白的测定.本方法以线性扫描二阶导数伏安法栓测HRP催化H~2O~2氧化OAP的产物,用于游离HRP和各种HRP标记物的测定,灵敏度均高于经典的ELISA显色光度法.测定游HPR的线性范围为1.0x10^-^1^2-4.0x10^-^9g/mL,检测限达6.0x10^-^1^3g/mL.本法对铁蛋白测定的线性范围为0.2-320ng/mL,用所建立的方法对人血清样品进行了测定,并与现行的ELISA显色光度法进行对照,二者相关性很好.对此伏安酶联免疫分析新体系的电极还原过程也进行了详细的研究.     

Utilization of magnetic nanobeads for analyzing haptoglobin in human plasma as a marker of Alzheimer’s disease by capillary electrophoretic immunoassay with laser-induced fluorescence detection

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder resulting from an impaired cholinergic function with loss of cognitive activity in the brain. Haptoglobin is a useful biomarker for AD analysis. Compared to the conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for haptoglobin analysis, the proposed immunoassay procedure reduces sample analysis time by approximately 55 min. Therefore, immunoassay was coupled with capillary electrophoresis (CE) to determine haptoglobin concentrations indirectly by using magnetic nanobeads (MBs) as a support and laser-induced fluorescence detection. In human plasma sample, the haptoglobin was immobilized on the MBs and reacted with the purified anti-haptoglobin antibody. The optimum separation time for the analyte was shorter than 6 min at 25 °C with a fused-silica capillary column of 40.2 cm × 50 μm ID (effective length 30 cm) and a run buffer containing 25 mM phosphate (pH 8.0) with 0.01% poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). When using Atto 495 NHS ester as an internal standard (IS) (250.0 ng mL⁻¹), the linear range of the proposed method for indirect determination of haptoglobin was 0.2–3.0 mg mL⁻¹. The method was further used to monitor the course of AD in patients with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).     

Magnetic beads-based immunoassay as a sensitive alternative for atrazine analysis

A new immunoassay strategy for sensitive atrazine determination based on magnetic beads is reported. The immuno-method is a competitive solid-phase immunoassay where the anti-atrazine antibody is immobilized on the magnetic beads surface and fixed at the reaction cell bottom using a simple magnet, which generates a magnetic field. Analyte and HRP (horseradish peroxidase) tracer compete for active sites of antibody. After the immunointeractions antibody-analyte and antibody-tracer, atrazine quantification from the sample is performed by injection of the chemiluminescence substrate (luminol, hydrogen peroxide and p-iodophenol). Different antibodies (polyIgG anti-atrazine Ab I and affinity purified polyIgG anti-atrazine AbI) were tested in this configuration. Also, optimum concentration of antibody-covered magnetic beads was set up (8 mg/l Ab II). Finally, the performance of magnetic beads-based immunoassay for atrazine determination was evaluated demonstrating that the magnetic beads-based immunoassay is one of the most sensitive method for atrazine determination (LoD = 3 pg/l, IC₅₀ = 37 pg/l, DR = 10-1000 pg/l).     

Real-time immuno-PCR assay for detecting PCBs in soil samples

A fast and robust assay, based on immuno-polymerase chain reaction (IPCR) techniques, was developed for the detection of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil samples. Real-time IPCR (rt-IPCR) is a powerful technique that combines enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the specificity and sensitivity of PCR. In our assay, indirect ELISAs based on immobilization of PCB37 hapten–ovalbumin conjugates was used for evaluation of the immune response. The effect of optimal reagent concentrations to reduce background fluorescence was also investigated. Using the optimized assay, the linear sensitivity range of the assay covered more than six orders of magnitude, and the minimum detection limits reached 5 fg ml^–1 antigen. Rt-IPCR was tested for its cross-reactivity profiles using four selected congeners and four Aroclor products. The assays were highly specific for congeners but less specific for Aroclor1242. We took four soil samples to validate the method, and the results were confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The rt-IPCR results for soil samples correlated well with the concentrations of PCBs obtained by GC/MS (r = 0.99, n = 6). These data indicate that this highly specific, sensitive, and robust assay can be modified for detecting PCB compounds in the environment.     

Immunochemical determination of oxytetracycline in fish: Comparison between enzymatic and time-resolved fluorometric assays

An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with photometric detection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) activity, was developed in plate to detect oxytetracycline (OTC) in Gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) samples. The results were compared to those obtained by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) using a secondary antibody with coproporphyrin of platinum (II) (PtCP) as marker. The limits of detection obtained in fish extract were 16 and 0.08 μg kg⁻¹ for photometric and fluorometric detections, respectively; therefore, they were suitable for fish quality control according to the maximum residue level established by the European Union.An extraction procedure using methanol:water 70:30 (v/v) + 1 mL EDTA 0.1 M, and different clean-up procedures based on solid-phase extraction (C₁₈, polymeric reversed phase, SCX, Si) was assayed. The matrix effects were overcome by means of an average tetracycline-free fish extract calibration curve used for quantification.The OTC optimized ELISA can also be applied to determine tetracycline and chlortetracycline residues with good results. Thus, the developed immunoassay could be considered as a generic assay for the most used tetracyclines in aquaculture antibiotic treatments.In order to confirm the utility of the developed immunoassay as a semi-quantitative methodology, fish samples obtained from different supermarkets were analyzed. Results correlate well with those obtained with a reference HPLC method.     

Electrochemical studies of o-tilidine as a hydrogen donor substrate for peroxidase and its application in enzyme immunoassay

A highly sensitive electrochemical method is described for assay of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) using o-tilidine as substrate. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit for HRP is 2.5 mU/l and the calibration range is from 5.0 to 1000 mU/l. The relative standard deviation of 11 measurements is 6.3% for 10.0 mU/l HRP. This new electrochemical system was further combined with an indirect enzyme immunoassay using direct antigen-coating format for the detection of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). The results show an improved sensitivity over the traditional o-phenylenediamine (OPD) spectrophotometric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Using this technique, a minimum detectable level of 2.0 ng/ml of purified CMV and 1:12500 dilution of CMV in infected leaf extractions can be achieved.     

Enhanced immunoassay for porcine circovirus type 2 antibody using enzyme-loaded and quantum dots-embedded shell–core silica nanospheres based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Boosting the detection sensitivity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is significant to the early clinical diagnosis of various diseases. Here, we developed a versatile immunosensor using silica nanospheres as carriers for sensitive detection of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) antibody. With HRP enzyme covalently immobilized on the silica nanospheres and CdSe nanocrystals embedded inside, these signal probes were successfully utilized in the sensitive detection of PCV2 antibody by ELISA, fluorometry and square-wave voltammetry (SWV). To further demonstrate the performance of the immunosensor, Human IgG (HIgG) was used as a model analyte. Since more HRP and CdSe QDs were loaded, 5-, 200- and 400-fold enhancements in amplified ELISA, fluorometry and voltammetry responses for HIgG could be achieved compared to conventional ELISA. The respective detection limits of theses methods for HIgG were 3.9, 0.1 and 0.05 ng mL⁻¹ with a RSD below 5% for amplified ELISA, fluorescence and SWV measurements. Additionally, a 100-fold improvement was obtained in the detection sensitivity for PCV2 antibody immunoassay. The versatile immunosensor exhibits good sensitivity, stability and reproducibility, suggesting its potential applications in clinical diagnostics.     

Hapten synthesis and antibody production for the development of a melamine immunoassay

The incorporation of melamine into food products is banned but its misuse has been widely reported in both animal feeds and food. The development of a rapid screening immunoassay for monitoring of the substance is an urgent requirement. Two haptens of melamine were synthesized by introducing spacer arms of different lengths and structures on the triazine ring of the analyte molecular structure. 6-Aminocaproic acid and 3-mercaptopropionic acid were reacted with 2-chloro-4,6-diamino-1,3,5-triazine (CAAT) to produce hapten 1 [3-(4,6-diamino-1,6-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-ylamino) hexanoic acid] and hapten 2 [3-(4,6-diamino-1,6-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-ylthio) propanoic acid], respectively. The molecular structures of the two haptens were identified by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, mass spectrometry and infrared spectrometry. An immunogen was prepared by coupling hapten 1 to bovine serum albumin (BSA). Two plate coating antigens were prepared by coupling both haptens to egg ovalbumin (OVA). A competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ciELISA) was developed to evaluate homogeneous and heterogeneous assay formats. The results showed that polyclonal antibodies with high titers were obtained, and the heterogeneous immunoassay format demonstrated a better performance with an IC₅₀ of 70.6 ng mL⁻¹, a LOD of 2.6 ng mL⁻¹ and a LOQ of 7.6 ng mL⁻¹. Except for cyromazine, no obvious cross-reactivity to common compounds was found. The data showed that the hapten synthesis was successful and the resultant antisera could be used in an immunoassay for the rapid and sensitive detection of this banned chemical.     

Electrochemical stripping voltammetry of gold ions for development of ultra-sensitive immunoassay for chlorsulfuron

The paper reports a highly sensitive enzyme free electrochemical immunoassay (EFEIA) for the detection of herbicide chlorsulfuron. The assay is based upon oxidative gold nanoparticle (GNP) dissolution in an acidic solution. The consequent release of large amounts of gold (Au) metal ions after dissolution of gold nanoparticles tagged to antibody leads to the development of sensitive stripping voltammetry based immunoassay. The detection is made possible by the reduction of Au^3 + ions at the screen printed electrode surface followed by metal analysis by using the square wave voltammetry technique. The sensitivity of chlorsulfuron detection by competitive assay procedure was 6.7 pg mL^− 1 for EFEIA in marked contrast to optical detection using Standard ELISA procedure that gives a sensitivity of 4.97 ng mL^− 1.     

Development of a rapid and sensitivity magnetic chemiluminescence immunoassay for DNA methyltransferase 1 in human serum

DNA methyltransferase 1(DNMT1) is a useful biomarker for lung cancer in early clinical diagnosis. A rapid magnetic chemiluminescence immunoassay(MCLIA) for DNMT1 in human serum has been developed.Horseradish peroxidase(HRP)-second-Ab was used to labeled polyclonal antibodies of anti-DNMT1. DNMT1 in sample integrates with specific immunomagnetic beads and can constitute a supersandwiched immunoreaction. In magnetic field, nonspecific materials can be separated. After luminescent substrate luminol-H_2O_2-BIP was added, the relative light unit(RLU) of HRP was detected and was discovered to be directly proportional to the content of DNMT1 in sample. The correlative variables involved in the MCLIA value were optimized and the methodological evaluation was carried out. After optimization, in the range of0.5–128 ng/mL, the linear regression equation was y = 0.5014 x + 1.769(x was logCDNMT1, y was relative luminescence units(RLU)/RLU0), and the limit of detection was 0.01 ng/mL. The RSD of intra-and interassays were 15.8%–16.9% and 14.3%–18.1%, respectively. The recovery was from 70.0% to 106.2%.Furthermore, paralleled with purchasable enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) kits, MCLEIA had lower detection limit, wider linear range and shorter detection time. Therefore, the MCLEIA established in this study could be used for the sensitive detection of DNMT1 in serum sample.     

Hapten design and indirect competitive immunoassay for parathion determination: correlation with molecular modeling and principal component analysis

A novel procedure for parathion hapten design is described. The optimal antigen for parathion was selected after molecular modeling studies of six types of potentially immunizing haptens with the aim to identify the best mimicking target analyte. Heterologous competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed after screening a battery of competitors as coating antigens. The relationship between the heterology degree of the competitor and the resulting immunoassay detectability was investigated according to the electronic similarities of the competitor haptens and the target analyte. Molecular modeling and principal component analysis were performed to understand the electronic distribution and steric parameters of the haptens at their minimum energetic levels. The results suggested that the competitors should have a high heterology to produce assays with good detectability values. An indirect competitive ELISA was finally selected for further investigation. The immunoassay had an IC₅₀ value of 4.79 ng mL⁻¹ and a limit of detection of 0.31 ng mL⁻¹. There was little or no cross-reactivity to similar compounds tested except for the insecticide parathion-methyl, which showed a cross-reactivity of 7.8%.