Engineered Nanofiber-Hydrogel Systems for Colorimetric Lactate Sensing from Breath

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Current methods for detecting chronic airway inflammation, like asthma, are complex and require specialized clinicians.
• There is a need for simpler, noninvasive diagnostic tools for point-of-care applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize nanofibers integrated with enzyme-entrapping hydrogels for noninvasive detection of airway inflammation biomarkers.
• To evaluate the performance of these nanofibers for lactate capture and colorimetric detection in breath aerosols.

Main Methods:

• Positively charged nylon-poly(allylamine hydrochloride) nanofibers were fabricated and optimized for mat thickness, additive content, and lactate capture.
• Nanofibers were functionalized with lactate oxidase and horseradish peroxidase for colorimetric detection using 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine.
• Lactate oxidase was immobilized on the nanofiber mat via hydrogel for direct quantification on a mask, ensuring stability.

Main Results:

• Optimized nanofibers demonstrated efficient lactate binding via electrostatic interaction, correlating breath aerosol lactate concentration to captured analyte.
• The nanofiber system outperformed other materials in analyte capture and breathability.
• The developed system achieved limits of detection of 5 μmol·L⁻¹ (solution) and 20 μmol·L⁻¹ (hydrogel), with a dynamic range covering physiological concentrations (5-150 μmol·L⁻¹).

Conclusions:

• This nanofiber-based platform enables noninvasive sample collection and simple colorimetric detection of airway inflammation biomarkers.
• The technology offers a stable, sensitive, and specific method for point-of-care diagnostics.
• This approach holds promise for remote healthcare, telemedicine, and simplified management of airway inflammation.