title: Amnesic shellfish poisoning biotoxin detection in seawater using pure or amino-functionalized Ag nanoparticles and SERS.
abstract: Domoic acid (DA) biotoxin responsible for the amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) has been unambiguously detected in seawater in a broad range of concentration, with both pure and amino-functionalized Ag nanoparticles employed for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). To achieve this, a comprehensive SERS study on DA dissolved in distilled water has been conducted. SERS of DA dissolved in seawater in concentrations ranging from 3.3 × 10(-4) to 3.3 × 10(-8) mol l(-1) exhibited specific signal, completely different to those of the corresponding DA aqueous solutions, due to the seawater interference in the overall SERS effect. In order to assess the capability of the technique as a cheaper alternative for rapid and unambiguous detection of the DA biotoxin in seawater, three detection schemes have been proposed. DA was detectable at 0.33 nmoll(-1) concentration (0.33) dissolved in distilled water and 0.033 nmol l(-1) (0.033 ppb) in seawater respectively, much lower than the admitted level by the current regulation. A solvent specific interaction of DA with the NPs was concluded, since DA aqueous solution added to Ag nanoparticles provided different SERS signal compared to that of DA directly dissolved in seawater. Employing amino-functionalized Ag nanoparticles with 4-aminothiophenol as SERS tag, SERS signal of DA on amino-AgNPs revealed significant specificity associated with the aromatic primary amine interaction of the SERS tag with DA, thus allowing DA detection in seawater at 4.16 × 10(-4) mol l(-1) concentration, much higher than in the case of pure NPs. To highlight the findings, a brief literature review to date on the DA biotoxin detection was also provided.
authors.affiliation: Babeş-Bolyai University, Biomedical Physics, Theoretical and Molecular Spectroscopy Department, Kogălniceanu 1, 400084 Cluj Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Csilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: University of Dubrovnik, Department for Aquaculture, Ćira Carića 4, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia.
authors.forename: Branko
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Glamuzina
authors.affiliation: University of Dubrovnik, Department for Aquaculture, Ćira Carića 4, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia.
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pozniak
authors.affiliation: Friedrich-Schiller-University, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Helmholtzweg 4, 07743 Jena, Germany; Institute of Photonics Technology, Albert-Einstein-Strasse, 9, 07745 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Friedrich-Schiller-University, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Helmholtzweg 4, 07743 Jena, Germany; Institute of Photonics Technology, Albert-Einstein-Strasse, 9, 07745 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cialla
authors.affiliation: Friedrich-Schiller-University, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Helmholtzweg 4, 07743 Jena, Germany; Institute of Photonics Technology, Albert-Einstein-Strasse, 9, 07745 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Popp
authors.affiliation: Babeş-Bolyai University, Biomedical Physics, Theoretical and Molecular Spectroscopy Department, Kogălniceanu 1, 400084 Cluj Napoca, Romania. Electronic address: simona.cinta@phys.ubbcluj.ro.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cîntă Pînzaru
mesh_terms: D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009467:Neuromuscular Depolarizing Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis*; D057096:Shellfish Poisoning; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; D008387:Marine Toxins; D009467:Neuromuscular Depolarizing Agents; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D012834:Silver; C064316:4-aminothiophenol; C012301:domoic acid; D007608:Kainic Acid
keywords: ASP biotoxin; Amino-functionalized nanoparticles; Domoic acid; FT-Raman; SERS; Seawater