A new strategy using an amperometric biosensor with Escherichia coli (E. coli) that provides a rapid toxicity determination of chemical compounds is described. The CellSense biosensor system comprises a biological component immobilized in intimate contact with a transducer which converts the biochemical signal into a quantifiable electrical signal. Toxicity assessment of heavy metals using E.coli biosensors could be finished within 30 min and the 50% effective concentrations (EC50) values of four heavy metals were determined. The results shows that inhibitory effects of four heavy metals to E.coli can be ranked in a decreasing order of Hg2+ > Cu2+ > Zn2+ > Ni2+, which accords to the results of conventional bacterial counting method. The toxicity test of organic compounds by using CellSense biosensor was also demonstrated. The CellSense biosensor with E.coli shows a good, reproducible behavior and can be used for reproducible measurements.
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