Hand-Held Raman Spectrometer-Based Dual Detection of Creatinine and Cortisol in Human Sweat Using Silver Nanoflakes

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Conventional tissue biopsies provide limited regional data, hindering comprehensive disease assessment.
• Liquid biopsy, analyzing body fluid components, is emerging as a powerful tool for disease monitoring.
• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers high sensitivity, specificity, and multiplexing capabilities for liquid biopsy analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel SERS substrate for simultaneous detection of biomarkers in human sweat.
• To demonstrate the utility of fabricated silver nanosnowflakes (SNSFs) for liquid biopsy applications.
• To enable non-invasive disease monitoring using sweat analysis.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of silver nanosnowflakes (SNSFs) via the polyol method.
• Immobilization of SNSFs onto hydrophobic filter paper to create a SERS substrate.
• Utilizing a hand-held Raman spectrometer for simultaneous detection of creatinine and cortisol in small sweat volumes (2 μL).

Main Results:

• The developed SERS substrate effectively detected creatinine and cortisol in human sweat.
• The system demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for simultaneous biomarker detection.
• Successful differentiation between normal and at-risk groups based on creatinine and cortisol levels was achieved.

Conclusions:

• The proposed SERS system provides a sensitive and specific platform for liquid biopsy analysis of sweat.
• This non-invasive approach facilitates comprehensive disease characterization and monitoring.
• The technology holds promise for point-of-care diagnostics and personalized health management.