Paper-Based Enzymatic Electrochemical Sensors for Glucose Determination

The general objective of Analytical Chemistry, nowadays, is to obtain best-quality information in the shortest time to contribute to the resolution of real problems. In this regard, electrochemical biosensors are interesting alternatives to conventional methods thanks to their great characteristics, both those intrinsically analytical (precision, sensitivity, selectivity, etc.) and those more related to productivity (simplicity, low costs, and fast response, among others). For many years, the scientific community has made continuous progress in improving glucose biosensors, being this analyte the most important in the biosensor market, due to the large amount of people who suffer from diabetes mellitus. The sensitivity of the electrochemical techniques combined with the selectivity of the enzymatic methodologies have positioned electrochemical enzymatic sensors as the first option. This review, focusing on the electrochemical determination of glucose using paper-based analytical devices, shows recent approaches in the use of paper as a substrate for low-cost biosensing. General considerations on the principles of enzymatic detection and the design of paper-based analytical devices are given. Finally, the use of paper in enzymatic electrochemical biosensors for glucose detection, including analytical characteristics of the methodologies reported in relevant articles over the last years, is also covered.