Liquid-Phase Barrier Modified Nitrocellulose Membrane: A Strategy for Boosting Chemiluminescent Detection in Lateral...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Background:

• Lateral flow assays (LFA) are popular for point-of-care testing due to cost-effectiveness and ease of use.
• However, limitations in sensitivity and widespread application for disease monitoring persist.
• Improving LFA performance is crucial for effective disease detection and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a modified nitrocellulose (NC) membrane for chemiluminescence LFA (CL-LFA) to enhance detection sensitivity.
• To investigate the efficacy of a liquid-phase barrier in improving CL-LFA performance for cardiac troponin I (cTnI) detection.
• To validate the modified CL-LFA using clinical samples from acute myocardial infarction patients.

Main Methods:

• Modification of nitrocellulose (NC) membrane with a dissolvable paraffin liquid barrier.
• Development of a chemiluminescence LFA (CL-LFA) incorporating the modified NC membrane.
• Detection of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) using the modified CL-LFA.
• Testing with clinical samples and comparison with hospital results.

Main Results:

• The liquid-phase barrier significantly increased analyte viscosity and reaction time.
• The modified CL-LFA demonstrated high sensitivity, specificity, and stability for cTnI detection.
• Achieved sensitive detection in the concentration range of 0.1-20 ng·mL⁻¹.
• Clinical sample testing showed good agreement with established hospital diagnostic results.

Conclusions:

• The liquid-phase barrier-modified NC membrane effectively enhances CL-LFA performance.
• This improved CL-LFA offers a sensitive and reliable method for cTnI detection.
• The technology holds significant potential for protein biomarker monitoring in diverse clinical settings.