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Updated: Nov 1, 2025
Fast and Accurate Exhaled Breath Ammonia Measurement
Published on: June 11, 2014
Point-of-Care Test Paper for Exhaled Breath Aldehyde Analysis via Mass Spectrometry
Zhengzhou Li1,2, Yuze Li1,2, Lingpeng Zhan3
1Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
Abstract:
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from exhaled breath (EB) are considered to be promising biomarkers for lung diseases. A convenient and sensitive point-of-care (POC) testing method for EB VOCs is essential. Here, we developed a POC test paper for the analysis of EB aldehydes, which are potential biomarkers for lung cancer. A probe molecule, 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP), was anchored on a paper substrate to specifically capture gas-phase aldehydes through the Schiff base reaction. Meanwhile, thin-film reaction acceleration was utilized to increase capture efficiency. By directly coupling the test paper to a mass spectrometer through paper spray, high sensitivity (0.1 ppt) and a wide quantification linear range (from 10 ppt to 1 ppm) were obtained. Analysis of EB from lung cancer patients with the test paper showed a significant increase in several reported aldehyde markers compared to EB from healthy volunteers, indicating the potential of this method for sensitive, low-cost, and convenient lung cancer screening and diagnosis.
