Smartphone Biosensors for Non-Invasive Drug Monitoring in Saliva

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Biosensors offer automated, rapid chemical analysis for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM).
• Saliva is an advantageous biological matrix for TDM due to its non-invasive collection and cost-effectiveness.
• Existing TDM methods can be invasive and require frequent hospital visits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare colorimetric and electrochemical biosensor methodologies for quantifying paracetamol in artificial saliva.
• To optimize biosensor parameters for accurate and reliable drug concentration measurements.
• To evaluate the potential of low-cost biosensors for non-invasive TDM.

Main Methods:

• Development and optimization of colorimetric and electrochemical biosensors.
• Utilization of the MediMeter app for data acquisition and analysis.
• Quantification of paracetamol in artificial saliva samples.
• Methodological refinements to minimize interferences and enhance accuracy.

Main Results:

• Both colorimetric (R² = 0.939) and electrochemical (R² = 0.988) methods accurately quantified paracetamol within the therapeutic range (0.01-0.05 mg/mL).
• Electrochemical biosensors exhibited higher precision (SD = 0.1041 mg/mL) and faster measurement times (~1 min).
• Optimized material selection and parameter adjustments improved measurement accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Low-cost biosensors, particularly electrochemical ones, show significant potential for rapid and precise TDM of paracetamol in saliva.
• The developed biosensing system offers an affordable, non-invasive alternative for remote drug monitoring.
• Future clinical applications could enhance patient-centric care through real-time drug level assessment.