Antibody Development and Immunoassays for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of ubiquitous contaminants produced by natural or anthropogenic processes and found in various environment and food samples. A number of PAHs are carcinogenic and listed as priority pollutants in a variety of regulations. For a long time, much public attention has been drawn on PAHs due to the sensitive issue of environmental risks and food safety. In recent years, immunoassay methods have been applied in environmental and food analysis of PAHs and employed as highly sensitive, selective and cost-effective alternative to complement traditional chromatographic analysis. In this article, the rapid progress in the immunoassays for analysis of PAHs in food and environmental samples, such as selecting haptens, producing antibodies and developing immunoanalytical methods, has been reviewed. Since there was a comprehensive review published in 2002, this article is mainly focusing on the achievements since 2002 in this field. Some significant works before 2002 are also included. Although there have been quite a few antibodies and immunoassays for PAHs available, more novel antibodies and immunoanalytical methods are still welcome. Moreover, class-selective determinations and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) techniques are likely to play an important role in PAHs immunoassays in the future.