Liquid crystal-based sensitive and selective detection of uric acid and uricase in body fluids

The abnormal levels of uric acid (UA) in body fluids are associated with gout, type (II) diabetes, leukemia, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, uremia, kidney damage, and cardiovascular diseases. Also, the presence of uricase (UOx) symbolizes genetic disorders and corresponding complications. Therefore, the detection of UA and UOx in the body fluids is significant for clinical diagnosis. 4-Cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB, a nematic liquid crystal (LC)) was doped with octadecyl trimethylammonium bromide (OTAB, a cationic surfactant), which formed a self-assembled monolayer at the aqueous/5CB interface. The UOx-catalyzed oxidation of UA yielded H₂O₂, releasing the single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) from the nanoceria/ssDNA complex. The interaction of the released ssDNA with OTAB disrupted the monolayer at the aqueous/5CB interface, which resulted in a dark to bright change when observed through a polarized optical microscope. The LC-based sensor allowed the detection of UA with a linear range of 0.01-10 μM and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.001 μM. The UA detection was also performed in human urine samples and the results were comparable to that of a standard commercial colorimetric method. Similarly, the detection of UOx was performed, with a noted linear range of 20-140 μg/mL. The LOD was as low as 0.34 μg/mL. The detection of UOx was also demonstrated in human serum samples with excellent performance. This method provides a robust sensing platform for the detection of UA and UOx and has potential for applications in clinical analysis.