Development of an immunoassay and a sol-gel-based immunoaffinity cleanup method for coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls from soil and sediment samples

Abstract Two polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed using goat PCB purified immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies (Abs). The IgGs exhibited the highest affinity toward PCB-77 (24 ng mL −1 ) with sensitivities in the range of 6–11 ng mL −1 . The Abs cross-reacted with PCB-126 and the heptachlorodibenzofuran 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF but not with PCB-169, PCB-118, Aroclor 1232, 1248, 1260 or the hexachlorodibenzofuran 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF. The IgGs were also used to develop a sol–gel-based immunoaffinity purification (IAP) method for cleanup of PCB-126. Recovery efficiencies depended on the sol–gel formats; a 1:12 format resulted in the highest binding capacity. Net binding capacity ranged from 112 to 257 ng, and 90% of the analyte could be eluted with only 2 mL of ethanol. The method was also very efficient in purifying PCB-126 from spiked soil and sediment samples from contaminated sites; and eliminating matrix interferences to a degree that enabled analysis of the purified samples by ELISA. The approaches developed in the course of the study form a basis for the development of additional IAP methods for other PCBs, and their implementation in high-throughput screening programs for PCB in food, soil, and other environmental and biological samples.