Issue 9, 2024

Modulating the ion-transfer electrochemistry of perfluorooctanoate with serum albumin and β-cyclodextrin

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are durable synthetic pollutants that persist in the environment and resist biodegradation. Ion-transfer electrochemistry at aqueous–organic interfaces is a simple strategy for the detection of ionised PFAS. Herein, we investigate the modulation of the ion transfer voltammetry of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) at liquid–liquid micro-interface arrays by aqueous phase bovine serum albumin (BSA) or β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and examine the determination of association constants for these binding interactions. By tracking the ion transfer current due to ionised, uncomplexed PFOA as a function of BSA or β-CD concentration, titration curves are produced. Fitting of a binding isotherm to these data provides the association constants. The association constant of PFOA with the BSA determined in this way was ca. 105 M−1 assuming a 1 : 1 binding. Likewise, the association constant for PFOA with β-CD was ca. 104 M−1 for a 1 : 1 β-CD-PFOA complex. Finally, the simultaneous effect of both BSA and β-CD on the ion transfer voltammetry of PFOA was studied, showing clearly that PFOA bound to BSA is released (de-complexed) upon addition of β-CD. The results presented here show ion transfer voltammetry as a simple strategy for the study of molecular and biomolecular binding of ionised PFAS and is potentially useful in understanding the affinity of different PFAS with aqueous phase binding agents such as proteins and carbohydrates.

Graphical abstract: Modulating the ion-transfer electrochemistry of perfluorooctanoate with serum albumin and β-cyclodextrin

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Dec 2023
Accepted
20 Mar 2024
First published
28 Mar 2024

Analyst, 2024,149, 2647-2654

Modulating the ion-transfer electrochemistry of perfluorooctanoate with serum albumin and β-cyclodextrin

H. B. Lamichhane and D. W. M. Arrigan, Analyst, 2024, 149, 2647 DOI: 10.1039/D3AN02164E

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