Identification and characterization of a novel carboxylesterase from Phaseolus vulgaris for detection of organophosphate and carbamates pesticides

Highly Sensitive and Rapid Screening Technique for the Detection of Organophosphate Pesticides and Copper Compounds Using Bifunctional Recombinant TrxA-PvCarE1

Enabling the detection of organophosphate pesticide (OP) residues through enzyme inhibition-based technology is crucial for ensuring food safety and human health. However, the use of acetylcholinesterase, the primary target enzyme for OPs, isolated from animals in practical production poses challenges in terms of sensitivity and batch stability. To address this issue, we identified a highly sensitive and reproducible biorecognition element, TrxA-PvCarE1, derived from red kidney beans and successfully overexpressed it in Escherichia coli. The resulting recombinant TrxA-PvCarE1 exhibited remarkable sensitivity toward 10 OPs, surpassing that of commercial acetylcholinesterase. Additionally, this approach demonstrated the capability to simultaneously detect copper compounds with high sensitivity, expanding the range of pesticides detectable using the traditional enzyme inhibition method. Spiking recovery tests conducted on cowpea and carrot samples verified the suitability of the TrxA-PvCarE1-based technique for real-life sample analysis. In summary, this study highlights a promising comprehensive candidate for the rapid detection of pesticide residues.

Overexpression of PxαE14 Contributing to Detoxification of Multiple Insecticides in Plutella xylostella (L.)

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), has evolved with varying degrees of resistance to almost all major classes of insecticides and has become the most resistant pest worldwide. The multiresistance to different types of insecticides has been frequently reported in P. xylostella, but little is known about the mechanism. In this study, a carboxylesterase (CarE) gene, PxαE14, was found significantly overexpressed in a field-evolved multiresistant P. xylostella population and can be dramatically induced by eight of nine tested insecticides. Results of the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) showed that PxαE14 was predominantly expressed in the midgut and malpighian tubule of larvae. Knockdown of PxαE14 dramatically increased the susceptibility of the larvae to β-cypermethrin, bifenthrin, chlorpyrifos, fenvalerate, malathion, and phoxim, while overexpression of PxαE14 in Drosophila melanogaster increased the tolerance of the fruit flies to these insecticides obviously. More importantly, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay showed that the recombinant PxαE14 expressed in Escherichia coli exhibited metabolic activity against the six insecticides. The homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation analyses showed that these six insecticides could stably bind to PxαE14. Taken together, these results demonstrate that constitutive and inductive overexpression of PxαE14 contributes to detoxification of multiple insecticides involved in multiresistance in P. xylostella. Our findings provide evidence for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the multiresistance in insect pests.

A novel electrochemical sensing platform based on the esterase extracted from kidney bean for high-sensitivity determination of organophosphorus pesticides

Similar to acetylcholinesterase, the activity of plant-derived esterase can also be inhibited by organophosphorus pesticides. Therefore, an electrochemical sensing platform using kidney bean esterase as a new detection enzyme was proposed for the highly sensitive determination of organophosphorus pesticides. Purified kidney bean esterase was obtained by an efficient and economical aqueous two-phase extraction method. Carboxylated graphene/carbon nanotube composites (cCNTs-cGR) and Au nanoparticles were used to provide a biocompatible environment to immobilize kidney bean esterase and also accelerate electron transport between the analyte and the electrode surface. Due to the good synergistic electrocatalytic effects of these nanomaterials, the biosensor exhibited an amplified electrocatalytic response to the oxidation of α-naphthalenol, which makes the sensor more sensitive. Based on the inhibitory effect of trichlorfon on kidney bean esterase activity, high sensitivity and low-cost detection of trichlorfon was achieved. Under optimum conditions, the inhibition of trichlorfon is proportional to its concentration in the range of 5 to 150 ng L-1 and 150 ng L-1 to 700 ng L-1 with an ultra-low detection limit of 3 ng L-1. Moreover, the validity of the prepared biosensor was verified by analyzing several actual agricultural products (cabbage and rice) with satisfactory recoveries ranging from 94.05% to 106.76%, indicating that kidney bean esterase is a promising enzyme source for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides in food samples.

An Overview on the Mechanisms and Applications of Enzyme Inhibition-Based Methods for Determination of Organophosphate and Carbamate Pesticides

Acetylcholinesterase inactivating compounds, such as organophosphate (OP) and carbamate (CM) pesticides, are widely used in agriculture to ensure sustainable production of food and feed. As a consequence of their applications, they would result in neurotoxicity, even death. In this essence, the development of enzyme inhibition methods still shows great significance as rapid detection techniques for on-site large-scale screening of OPs and CMs. Initially, mechanisms and applications of various enzyme-inhibition-based methods and devices, including optical colorimetric assay, fluorometric assays, electrochemical biosensors, rapid test card, and microfluidic device, are highlighted in the present overview. Further, to enhance the enzyme sensitivity for detection; alternative enzyme sources or high yield enrichment methods (such as abzyme, artificial enzyme, and recombinant enzyme), as well as enzyme reactivation and identification, are also addressed in this comprehensive overview.

Simple Colorimetric Method for Cholinesterase-inhibitor Screening in Gastric Content by Using Phytoesterase Enzyme from Kidney Bean

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Diagnosis of cholinesterase inhibitor insecticide ingestion is based on clinical suspicious and should be confirmed by cholinesterase essay. However, serum cholinesterase activity test requires specific instruments and procedure. This study aimed to develop simple colorimetric test to detect cholinesterase inhibitors in the gastric content, using phytoesterase and alpha naphthyl acetate as a chromogenic substrate.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Methomyl and chlorpyrifos were selected for the phytoesterase enzyme inhibition assay. The experiment was conducted using pooled insecticide-free gastric content sample from ten cadavers. The gastric content samples were prepared by simple filtration procedure or liquid-liquid extraction procedure with dichloromethane or ethyl acetate. The inhibitor concentrations measured by the developed phytoesterase enzyme inhibition assay were compared with those analyzed by the LC-MS/MS and the GC-FPD.

RESULTS

Different sample preparation procedures, sensitivity and specificity and specificity of the test were investigated. Sample extracted with dichloromethane reduced the effect of matrix in gastric content as same as ethyl acetate. The developed color test method of detection showed 56.52% sensitivity and 100% specificity for methomyl, 100% sensitivity and 96.30% specificity for chlorpyrifos. The limit of detection of the assay was 422.6 ng mL-1 for methomyl and was 339.8 ng mL-1 for chlorpyrifos.

CONCLUSION

This developed method could be used an alternative diagnostic test for methomyl and chlorpyrifos self-ingestion.