Electrochemical Detection of Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine disruptors encompass a diverse group of synthetic and natural compounds capable of interfering with hormonal systems in humans and wildlife. Conventional analytical approaches such as chromatography often demand extensive sample preparation, lengthy run times and considerable reagent volumes. In contrast, electrochemical detection harnesses the direct conversion of chemical interactions into electrical signals, offering rapid, cost-effective and portable solutions. Recent advances centre on tailoring electrode surfaces with nanomaterials—metal nanoparticles, carbon allotropes and conductive polymers—to enhance electron transfer kinetics and target-molecule affinity. Such modifications have yielded sensors with detection limits in the nanomolar to picomolar range, high selectivity amid complex matrices and robust performance in field settings. The integration of electrochemical platforms with microfluidics and wearable formats promises real-time monitoring of water, food and clinical samples, underlining the global significance of this technology for environmental surveillance and public health.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A carbon paste electrode modified with magnetite nanoparticles and an ionic liquid has been applied to simultaneous quantification of 17β-estradiol and estriol. The magnetic nanomaterial and ionic liquid synergistically increased surface area and conductivity, yielding irreversible oxidation peaks with a detection limit as low as 50 nmol L⁻¹ for estradiol and 300 nmol L⁻¹ for estriol. Optimisation by factorial design ensured reproducible voltammetric responses in pharmaceutical formulations comparable to spectrometric standards. In a separate approach, a graphitic carbon nitride–carbon nanotube nanocomposite decorated with palladium nanoparticles served as a catalytic amplification platform for 17α-ethinylestradiol. Differential pulse voltammetry achieved a linear response from 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.5 × 10⁻⁴ M and a detection limit of 0.5 µM, with accuracy and precision matching high-performance liquid chromatography in feedstuff matrices.

Electrochemical Detection of Endocrine Disruptors publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical detection of endocrine disruptors across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Electrochemical sensor: A device that converts chemical interactions at an electrode surface into measurable electrical signals.

Voltammetry: An electroanalytical technique in which current is measured while the electrode potential is varied over time.

Nanocomposite electrode: An electrode surface modified with a combination of nanomaterials to enhance sensitivity and selectivity.

Limit of detection: The lowest concentration of an analyte that can be reliably distinguished from background noise.

Endocrine disruptor: A chemical agent that interferes with hormone synthesis, secretion, transport or receptor binding in organisms.

References

1. An Electrochemical Screen-Printed Sensor Based on Gold-Nanoparticle-Decorated Reduced Graphene Oxide–Carbon Nanotubes Composites for the Determination of 17-β Estradiol. Biosensors (2023).
2. Ionic liquid-supported magnetite nanoparticles as electrode modifier materials for estrogens sensing. Scientific Reports (2020).
3. Palladium Nanoparticles/Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets-Carbon Nanotubes as a Catalytic Amplification Platform for the Selective Determination of 17α-ethinylestradiol in Feedstuffs. Scientific Reports (2019).
4. The simpler the better: Highly sensitive 17α-ethinylestradiol sensor based on an unmodified carbon paper transducer. Talanta (2022).
5. An Electrochemical Sensor Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide and Copper Nanoparticles for Monitoring Estriol Levels in Water Samples after Bioremediation. Chemosensors (2022).