A novel and simple cell-based electrochemical impedance biosensor for evaluating the combined toxicity of DON and ZEN

In this study, a novel and simple cell-based electrochemical biosensor was developed to assess the individual and combined toxicity of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) on BEL-7402 cells. The sensor was fabricated by modification with AuNPs, p-aminothiophenol, and folic acid in succession. The BEL-7402 cells which had a good activity were adhered on the electrode through the high affinity between the folate receptor and folic acid selectivity. We used the collagen to maintain the cell adhesion and viability. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was developed to evaluate the individual and combined toxicity of DON and ZEN. Our results indicate that DON and ZEN caused a marked decrease in the cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. The value of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy decreased with the concentration of DON and ZEN in range of 0.1–20, 0.1–50μg/ml with the detection limit as 0.03, 0.05μg/ml, respectively, the IC50 for DON and ZEN as obtained by the proposed electrochemical method were 7.1μg/ml and 24.6μg/ml, respectively, and the combination of two mycotoxins appears to generate an additive response. The electrochemical cytotoxicity evaluation result was confirmed by biological assays. Compared to conventional methods, this electrochemical test is inexpensive, highly sensitive, and fast to respond, with long-term monitoring and real-time measurements. The proposed method provides a new avenue for evaluating the toxicity of mycotoxins. •Folic acid was used to immobilize cells with good viability on the electrode.•This method can assess the toxicity with long-term monitoring and real-time measurements.•First time to use electrochemical method to evaluate the combined toxicity of mycotoxins.