MICROFLUIDIC IMMUNOSENSOR FOR DETERMINATION OF CLENBUTEROL USING GOLD NANOPARTICLES AND MAGNETIC MICRO PARTICLES AS BIOAFFINITY PLATFORM

MATÍAS REGIART ; SIRLEY PEREIRA ; MARTÍN FERNÁNDEZ-BALDO; PEDRO R. ARANDA ; V. SPOTORNO; FRANCO BERTOLINO ; JULIO RABA

Congreso; RICIFA (2012) 2º REUNIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE CIENCIAS FARMACÉUTICAS; 2012

Clenbuterol (CLB) is a β2-adrenergic agonist used in animal production which is banned in Argentina and in the European Union (1). CLB has been used illegally in animal production although the accumulation of their residues in animal tissue can cause symptoms of acute poisoning in humans. Several cases of human food poisoning have been reported (2). This β-agonist represents a potential risk and has to be carefully monitored to avoid the illegal use of high amounts as a growth-promoting agent in meat production. Since then, it is being extensively controlled as a veterinary drug residue in food safety (3). In this work, we report the development of a microfluidic immunosensor performed on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) (4), which was modified by electrodeposition of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). This electrochemical detection system was applied to the quantification of low concentrations of CLB present in bovine hair samples. The great advantage of hair analysis is the high affinity of CLB for melanin. This fact prevents metabolic clearance, and provides an ??in vitro?? piece of evidence prior to sacrifice, facilitating the action of veterinary inspectors.