A critical comparison of cell-based sensor systems for the detection of Cr(VI) in aquatic environment

The toxicity of chromium ions was investigated using mammalian cell cultures on impedance sensors as well as physiological in vitro sensor systems. The performance of commercially available systems like the 2500 Analyzing System (Bionas), xCELLigence (Roche) and Cytosensor Microphysiometer (Molecular Devices) was compared with a novel CMOS-based impedance-to-frequency converter device. Cell-based sensor systems are shown to be powerful tools to detect Cr(VI) pollutions within several hours in the range of multinational drinking water regulations. The ability to distinguish between toxic Cr(VI) and non-toxic Cr(III) species is one advantage of these integral sensor systems. Impedance only devices are not sufficient for the fast detection of toxic chromium species as rapid cellular changes occur only in the respiration system and the cell physiology.