Lactate Sensors for Early Detection of Metabolic Disorders in Dynamic Muscle Tissue Models

Lactate monitoring is essential for the diagnosis and management of metabolic disorders, such as mitochondrial myopathies. To detect these conditions, assessment of lactate levels during dynamic physiological states such as exercise is a promising approach. However, conventional metabolite sensors can be limited by poor stability under mechanical stress, including muscle contractions, and slow response times, hindering their utility in capturing real-time lactate dynamics. We report a biocompatible, acutely implantable lactate sensor on a flexible substrate embedded with a lactate oxidase enzyme layer for electrochemical detection of physiologically relevant lactate concentrations (0.2-40 mM). The performance of the sensor was evaluated using a hydrogel model mimicking the biomechanical environment of muscle tissue, including resting and contracting states. The sensor demonstrates robust mechanical stability and rapid response times for monitoring of lactate diffusion dynamics under simulated muscle contractions. This platform enables real-time insights into tissue metabolism and advances precision medicine for metabolic disorders.Clinical Relevance-This work supports the use of lactate microsensors for diagnosing and monitoring metabolic disorders by enabling screening of metabolite imbalances and guiding therapeutic interventions.