Point-of-Care Testing of the MTF1 Osteoarthritis Biomarker Using Phenolphthalein-Soaked Swabs

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, which accompanies pain and inconvenience in daily life owing to degradation of cartilage and adjacent tissues. In this study, we propose a simple point-of-care testing (POCT) kit for the detection of the MTF1 OA biomarker to achieve on-site clinical diagnosis of OA. The kit contains an FTA card for patient sample treatments, a sample tube for loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and a phenolphthalein-soaked swab for naked eye detection. The MTF1 gene was isolated from synovial fluids using an FTA card and amplified using the LAMP method at 65 °C for 35 min. A test part of the phenolphthalein-soaked swab was decolorized in the presence of the MTF1 gene due to the pH change after the LAMP, but the color remained pink in the absence of the MTF1 gene. The control part of the swab served as a reference color in relation to the test part. When real-time LAMP (RT-LAMP), gel electrophoresis, and colorimetric detection of the MTF1 gene were performed, the limit of detection (LOD) was confirmed at 10 fg/μL, and the overall processes were completed in 1 h. The detection of an OA biomarker in the form of POCT was reported for the first time in this study. The introduced method is expected to serve as a POCT platform directly applicable by clinicians for easy and rapid identification of OA.