Paper-based analytical devices have become very popular in the development of biosensors and clinical assays due to their simplicity, inexpensiveness, biodegradability, and porous properties. This study examined a paper-based, nonenzymatic, noninvasive method of glucose determination in human biofluids on a wax-printed microwell platform. Gold(III) tetrachloride can be reduced by sodium hydroxide on chromatography paper to produce gold nanoparticles that can be altered by an analyte found in diabetic urine: glucose. Concentration of glucose effectively alters the size of the gold nanoparticles which leads to a color change that can be seen with the naked eye. When introduced to gold nanoparticles, low concentrations of glucose produce a very light red color while high concentrations of glucose produce a very intense red color. The relevant diabetic physiological range of glucose concentration in urine is 1.0 – 10 mM. This study found a significant difference between the intensity of red color produced by 0 mM glucose in simulated urine compared to 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mM glucose in simulated urine when introduced to gold nanoparticles. A quantitative analysis of the intensity of color produced by the gold nanoparticle/glucose system was performed by using ImageJ to measure mean greyscale values. Mean greyscale values quantify the intensity of color produced by each concentration of glucose although the change in intensity of color with concentration can be seen with the naked eye, with a detection limit of 0.487 mM in this study, specifically. This noninvasive, nonenzymatic method of detection of glucose in urine is significant because current methods of glucose detection require blood to be drawn and/or the use enzymes to determine the level of glucose in the body. Utilizing gold nanoparticles on a wax-printed, paper-based microwell platform for nonenzymatic detection of glucose in biofluids presents a very simple, inexpensive, yet selective way to determine glucose levels in the body that could be accessible to all populations, especially resource deprived areas where there are higher rates of death by diabetes.

Nonenzymatic, noninvasive colorimetric detection of glucose on wax-printed microwells via gold nanoparticles

ACS Spring 2022

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