Researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) developed a bioelectronic chip capable of detecting at the same time the vitamins C It is D in bodily fluids. Flexible and easy to use, it can be adapted to become a wearable device, contributing to personalized nutrition, as detailed in an article published in the magazine ACS Applied Nano Materialshighlighted by cover.
Vitamins C and D are considered immune-supporting micronutrients, as they participate in metabolic pathways involved in the fight against viruses and bacteria. Monitoring their levels in the body is important because it ensures that they are present at levels considered healthy – not too much, not too little.
However, the methods currently available for this require expensive laboratory equipment, operated by specialized professionals and require blood collection, in addition to generating waste that can be harmful. Another difficulty is detecting and analyzing these two vitamins at the same time, using the same sample volume.
To simplify this process, researchers from the São Carlos Physics Institute (IFSC-USP) supported by FAPESP (projects 22/03758-0 , 22/15122-3 , 19/13514-9 , 22/00243-0 It is 18/22214-6 ) used accessible, relatively low-cost resources, such as carbon, and fast operational protocols to develop an electrochemical chip that allows self-monitoring of micronutrients.
Disposable, the device incorporates two different sensors, which use electrical current to detect each of the substances. In the case of vitamin D, the sensor is made of graphitic carbon nitride and gold nanoparticles and contains a layer of anti-25(OH)D3 antibodies. [25(OH)D3 é a forma mais abundante de vitamina D, devido à sua longa meia-vida]. Vitamin C is made of carbon nanoparticles and acts as an electrocatalytic sensor.
How it works is simple: simply connect the chip to a portable electronic device similar to a glucose meter, insert a sample of saliva or blood serum and wait for the electrical current signals that indicate the presence of vitamins and their levels. The result is obtained in less than 20 minutes.
“By immobilizing electrochemically active species on the surface of one of the sensors, we were able to eliminate the need for 'labels' and redox probes, simplifying the device and reducing the complexity of the analysis”, says Thiago Serafim Martins currently a researcher at Imperial College London (England) and first author of the study.
“This makes the chip potentially more practical and efficient, which makes it possible to use it directly at the point of care. Furthermore, due to its flexibility, it can be adapted for wearable sensors, integrated into a mouthpiece or even applied directly to the skin.”
The selectivity and specificity of the device were confirmed with control experiments, designed to evaluate potential interferences from substances normally found in human serum and saliva samples, such as vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin B1, vitamin B3, glucose, lactate, chloride sodium and potassium chloride.
Challenges
For the bioelectronic chip to detect vitamins C and D to be developed, the researchers had to overcome a difficulty: ensuring that there was no interference between the vitamins. This means that the presence of one vitamin should not affect the detection of the other in the same sample volume.
“To achieve this objective, we developed the two work areas, that is, the two sensors on the chip, with different surface chemistries and configured them to operate at different electrical potentials”, says Martins.
Scientists see potential to expand the device to detect other biomarkers, including those related to different types of cancer. Despite this advance, they recognize the need to conduct additional studies to validate the sensor. The intention is that, with this, they can begin the patent application process and, subsequently, transfer the technology to the market.
The study also received support from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
The article Label- and Redox Probe-Free Bioelectronic Chip for Monitoring Vitamins C and the 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Metabolite can be read at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsanm.3c05701 .
Source: CNN Brasil
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