Application of an ELISA to the quantification of carbamazepine in ground, surface and wastewaters and validation with LC-MS/MS

Carbamazepine is a psychiatric pharmaceutical widely detected in aquatic environments. Due to its generalized occurrence and environmental persistence it might be considered as an anthropogenic pollution indicator. In this research, a previously developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), based on a commercial monoclonal antibody, was applied to the quantification of carbamazepine in ground, surface and wastewaters and results were validated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).The performance of the applied ELISA methodology was tested in the presence of high concentrations of sodium chloride and dissolved organic matter. The method was not significantly affected by matrix effects, being adequate for the quantification of carbamazepine in environmental samples, even without sample pre-treatment. This method allows the quantification of carbamazepine in the range of 0.03-10 μg L−1, with a relative error lower than 30%. Due to a pH dependent cross-reactivity with cetirizine, an antihistaminic drug, the assay also enabled the quantification of cetirizine in the samples.The application of the developed method to the quantification of carbamazepine was performed by using environmental samples with very different matrices, collected in the geographical area of Ria de Aveiro, an estuarine system located in the North of Portugal. Carbamazepine was detected in all analyzed wastewater samples and in one surface water with concentrations between 0.1 and 0.7 μg L−1. Validation with LC-MS/MS revealed that results obtained by ELISA are 2-28% overestimated, which was considered highly satisfactory due to the absence of sample pre-treatments.

► An ELISA method was applied to quantify carbamazepine in environmental samples. ► The ELISA methodology has a working range from 0.03 to 10 μg L−1 of carbamazepine. ► The method is not affected by high salinity and organic matter concentrations. ► ELISA results were satisfactorily validated by LC-MS/MS. ► pH dependent cross-reactivity with cetirizine also allowed its quantification.