Application of ganglioside-sensitized liposomes in a flow injection immunoanalytical system for the determination of cholera toxin

Cholera, an acute infectious disease associated with water and seafood contamination, is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which lives and colonizes in the small intestine and secretes cholera toxin (CT), a causative agent for diarrhea in humans. Based on earlier lateral flow assays, a flow injection liposome immunoanalysis (FILIA) system with excellent sensitivity was developed in this study for the determination of CT at zeptomole levels. Ganglioside (GM(1)), found to have specific affinity toward CT, was inserted into the phospholipid bilayer during the liposome synthesis. These GM(1)-sensitized, sulforhodamine B (SRB) dye-entrapping liposomes were used as probes in the FILIA system. Anti-CT antibodies were immobilized in its microcapillary. CT was detected by the formation of a sandwich complex between the immobilized antibody and GM(1) liposomes. During the assay, the sample was introduced first into the column, and then liposomes were injected to bind to all CT captured by the antibody in the microcapillary. Subsequently, the SRB dye molecules were released from the bound liposomes via the addition of the detergent octyl glucopyranoside. The released dye molecules were transported to a flow-through fluorescence detector for quantification. The FILIA system was optimized with respect to flow rate, antibody concentration, liposome concentration, and injected sample volume. The calibration curve for CT had a linear range of 10-16 to 10-14 g mL(-1). The detection limit of this immunosensor was 6.6 x 10(-17) g mL(-1) in 200-mu L samples (equivalent to 13 ag or 1.1 zmol).