Detection of urinary creatinine using gold nanoparticles after solid phase extraction.

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biomedical Sensing

Background:

• Creatinine detection is crucial for assessing kidney function.
• Existing methods for creatinine detection can be affected by complex biological matrices like urine.
• Label-free detection methods offer advantages in simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive and selective method for label-free creatinine detection in human urine.
• To utilize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for visual and spectrometric quantification of creatinine.
• To validate a sample preparation technique that mitigates urine matrix interferences.

Main Methods:

• Creatinine extraction from human urine using sulfonic acid functionalized silica gel.
• Detection of extracted creatinine via aggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).
• Monitoring of AuNP aggregation through changes in surface plasmon resonance and colorimetry.

Main Results:

• The proposed sample preparation effectively removed interfering substances from the urine matrix.
• Creatinine-induced AuNP aggregation led to measurable changes in optical signals.
• The method achieved a creatinine detection range of 15-40 mg/L with a detection limit of 13.7 mg/L.
• Successful application of the method for creatinine detection in actual human urine samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed label-free method using AuNPs and a specific sample preparation is effective for creatinine detection in human urine.
• This approach offers a promising tool for clinical diagnostics and kidney function assessment.
• The visual and spectrometric detection capabilities enhance its potential for widespread use.