Recent advances in potentiometric analysis: Paper–based devices

Potentiometric determination of the local anesthetic procaine in pharmaceutical samples

In this study, a new potentiometric sensor was developed for the determination of the local anesthetic drug procaine in pharmaceutical samples. Procaine (Pr)-Tetraphenlyborate (TPB) ion-pair was synthesized and used as a sensor material. Potentiometric sensors using the synthesized ion pair (Pr-TPB), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and o-nitrophenyloctyl ether (o-NPOE) in different proportions were prepared and their performance properties were tested. Among the prepared sensors, the best potentiometric response characteristics were obtained with the sensor composition Pr-TPB:PVC:o-NPOE in the ratio of 6.0:32.0:62.0 (w/w %). The new procaine sensor developed in the present study had a near-Nernstian behavior of 54.1 ± 3.3 mV/per decade and a low detection limit of 3.18 × 10-5 mol L-1 in the concentration range of 1.0 × 10-1-1.0 × 10-4 mol L-1. Additionally, the sensor had a response time of less than 10 s and could work in a wide pH range for two different concentration values without being affected by pH changes. Finally, the new procaine potentiometric sensor was used to detect procaine in injection samples and successfully determined procaine concentrations with high recoveries.

Paper based analytical devices for ions determination in nasal secretions demonstrating association with olfactory function

Nasal ions environment plays a crucial role in maintaining nasal physiology and supports olfactory transmission. Addressing the limited research on nasal ion levels and their association with olfactory function, paper-based sensors were developed for determination of sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride in the nasal mucus of healthy volunteers and patients with olfactory dysfunction. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes and carbon quantum dots from beetroot were incorporated into paper substrate where sensors were designed with ion association complexes for sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride enhancing the recognition sensing capabilities. The sensors composition was optimized, including ion-exchange materials and plasticizers, to enhance sensitivity and selectivity. The performance of the sensors is evaluated based on Nernstian slope, dynamic range, detection limit and response time. Selectivity of the sensors was tested and the results demonstrated high selectivity for the target ions. The sensors were successfully determined sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride levels in nasal mucus of healthy volunteers and patients with olfactory dysfunction. The results revealed elevated calcium levels in patients with olfactory dysfunction, highlighting associated diagnostic implications. This suggests that the proposed sensors could serve as a diagnostic tool for olfactory evaluation, particularly in resource-constrained settings where access to advanced diagnostic tools is limited.

Toward Personalized Treatment of Depression: An Affordable Citalopram Test based on a Solid-Contact Potentiometric Electrode for at-Home Monitoring of the Antidepressant Dosage

Citalopram (CTLP) is one of the most common antidepressants prescribed worldwide. It has a narrow therapeutic window and can cause severe toxicity and mortality if the dosage exceeds the safe level. Reports indicated that at-home monitoring of citalopram dosage considerably benefits the patients, yet there are no devices capable of such measurement of citalopram in biofluids. This work presents an affordable citalopram test for at-home and point-of-care monitoring of citalopram levels in urine, ensuring a safe and effective drug compliance. Our platform consists of a citalopram-selective yarn-based electrode (CTLP-SYE) that uses polymeric sensing membranes to provide valuable information about drug concentration in urine. CTLP-SYE is noninvasive and has a response time of fewer than 10 s. The fabricated electrode showed near-Nernstian behavior with a 52.3 mV/decade slope in citalopram hydrobromide solutions ranging from 0.5 μM to 1.0 mM, with a detection limit of 0.2 μM. Results also indicated that neither interfering ions nor pH affects electrode performance. We showed that CTLP-SYE could accurately and reproducibly measure citalopram in human urine (RSD 2.0 to 3.2%, error <12%) at clinically relevant concentrations. This work paves the way for the personalized treatment of depression and accessible companion diagnostics to improve treatment efficacy and safety.

Application of Paper-Based Microfluidic Analytical Devices (µPAD) in Forensic and Clinical Toxicology: A Review

The need for providing rapid and, possibly, on-the-spot analytical results in the case of intoxication has prompted researchers to develop rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective methods and analytical devices suitable for use in nonspecialized laboratories and at the point of need (PON). In recent years, the technology of paper-based microfluidic analytical devices (μPADs) has undergone rapid development and now provides a feasible, low-cost alternative to traditional rapid tests for detecting harmful compounds. In fact, µPADs have been developed to detect toxic molecules (arsenic, cyanide, ethanol, and nitrite), drugs, and drugs of abuse (benzodiazepines, cathinones, cocaine, fentanyl, ketamine, MDMA, morphine, synthetic cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol, and xylazine), and also psychoactive substances used for drug-facilitated crimes (flunitrazepam, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), ketamine, metamizole, midazolam, and scopolamine). The present report critically evaluates the recent developments in paper-based devices, particularly in detection methods, and how these new analytical tools have been tested in forensic and clinical toxicology, also including future perspectives on their application, such as multisensing paper-based devices, microfluidic paper-based separation, and wearable paper-based sensors.

Impedimetric Sensing: An Emerging Tool for Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a pressing need for the development of sensitive and low-cost point-of-care sensors for disease diagnosis. The current standard of care for COVID-19 is quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). This method is sensitive, but takes time, effort, and requires specialized equipment and reagents to be performed correctly. This make it unsuitable for widespread, rapid testing and causes poor individual and policy decision-making. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are a widely used alternative that provide results quickly but have low sensitivity and are prone to false negatives, particularly in cases with lower viral burden. Electrochemical sensors have shown much promise in filling this technology gap, and impedance spectroscopy specifically has exciting potential in rapid screening of COVID-19. Due to the data-rich nature of impedance measurements performed at different frequencies, this method lends itself to machine-leaning (ML) algorithms for further data processing. This review summarizes the current state of impedance spectroscopy-based point-of-care sensors for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This article also suggests future directions to address the technology's current limitations to move forward in this current pandemic and prepare for future outbreaks.

Portable potentiometric device for determining the antioxidant capacity

At present, the development of portable devices for the express assessment of the content of biologically active objects, such as antioxidants, is one of the relevant technological problems of modern chemistry, medicine, and engineering. The main advantages of such devices are the simplicity and rapidity of analysis, small volumes of analyte, as well as miniaturization of equipment, making it possible to carry out the on-site analysis and, thus, to take a step towards the personalized medicine. The potentiometric method using the K3[Fe(CN)6]/K4[Fe(CN)6] system, which in the laboratory-scale version proved to be the most accurate, reproducible, and express, was the basis for the developed prototypes of portable devices. In this study, two versions of prototypes of the portable device are proposed, namely, the open microcell with the 0.2 ml volume and the microfluidic device with flow control. The correctness of the antioxidant capacity (AOC) determination in both systems was confirmed by comparing the results of the "introduced-found" method on model solutions of antioxidants and their mixtures with the AOC results obtained in a standard laboratory electrochemical cell. The relative standard deviation did not exceed 10%. The AOC of some beverage industry was determined using the microfluidic device. The correlation coefficient of the results, obtained in the microfluidic device and the laboratory cell, was 0.90, which indicates good data convergence and the possibility of using the potentiometric method implemented in the microfluidic device to assess the AOC of multicomponent objects.