The targeted diagnosis and effective treatments of chronic wounds remain a significant healthcare challenge, requiring the design of analytical sensors for real-time monitoring of wound healing activity. Herein, an adaptable method for the fabrication of carbon ultramicroelectrode arrays (CUAs) on flexible substrates is described with the goal to utilize this sensor as a wearable device to monitor chronic wounds. As a proof-of-concept study, the electrochemical detection of three electroactive analytes as biomarkers for wound healing state in a wound fluid simulant on flexible CUAs is demonstrated. Notably, to follow pathogenic responses, we characterize the analytical figures of merit for identification and monitoring of bacterial warfare toxin pyocyanin (PYO) secreted by the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Demonstrated is also the detection of uric acid (UA) and nitric oxide (NO), which are signaling biomolecules indicative of wound healing, and immune responses, respectively. The electrochemically determined limit of detection (LOD) and linear dynamic range (LDR) for PYO, UA, and NO fall within the clinically relevant concentrations for each biomarker. In addition, we demonstrate the successful use of flexible CUAs for quantitative, electrochemical detection of PYO from P. aeruginosa strains and cellular NO from immune cells in the wound matrix. An electrochemical examination of the interaction between PYO and NO is also presented, providing insight into pathogen-host responses. Moreover, the effects of the antimicrobial agent, silver (Ag+), on P. aeruginosa PYO production rates are investigated on flexible CUAs. These quantitative electrochemical results show that the addition of Ag+ to P. aeruginosa cultures in wound simulant decreases PYO secretion rates. Finally, this talk will also briefly describe how the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Graduate Fellowship has helped in my professional and scientific journey in analytical chemistry.

Wearable electrochemical sensors for detection of multianalyte biomarkers in wound healing efficacy

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.