This work described the fabrication of a gold nanoparticles/single-walled carbon nanotubes/glassy carbon electrode containing mono-6-thio-beta-cyclodextrin (SH-beta-CD) self-assembled monolayer (SH-beta-CD/AuNPs/SWCNTs/GCE) and its application for electrochemical determination of methyl parathion (MP) pesticide in solution using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWV) method. The SH-beta-CD/AuNPs/SWCNTs nanohybrids had a three-dimensional porous nanostructure with large active surface area, and the SH-beta-CD monolayer on AuNPs/SWCNTs surface could greatly enhance the sensitivity and selectivity in detecting MP pesticides. The SWV response of the MP on the SH-beta-CD/AuNPs/SWCNTs/GCE was ca. 3.9 and 5.1 times that of MP on the SH-beta-CD/AuNPs/GCE and AuNPs/SWCNTs/GCE, respectively. The sensor demonstrated a wide linear response range from 2.0-80.0 nM, with a lower detection limit of 0.1 nM (S/N = 3) using 180 s of preconcentration time. The interference experiments showed that other aromatic insecticide, such as, chlorpyrifos, 2,4-dDichlorophenoxy acetic acid, methamidophos, triazophos, parathion had little influence on the MP signal. The proposed sensor was further employed for detection of MP in the real environmental water sample. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.