Wearable molecularly imprinted polymer sweat testosterone sensor for noninvasive auxiliary early-stage polycystic...

Androgens, comparable in importance to estrogens, are essential for female reproductive and physiological health. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), often caused by elevated testosterone (the primary androgen in females) is characterized by reproductive dysfunction, infertility, and metabolic abnormalities. However, current testosterone assays remain invasive, technically complex, and insufficiently sensitive, limiting their utility for early and noninvasive PCOS screening. This study developed a wearable molecularly imprinted (MIP) electrochemical sensor for highly sensitive in situ sweat testosterone monitoring, offering a new strategy for non-invasive PCOS screening. The sensor combines laser-induced graphene electrodes with graphene oxide/Prussian blue amplification and o-phenylenediamine imprinting, showing a linear response (R² = 0.9916) from 1 to 25 ng/ml with a detection limit of 0.75 ng/ml. The MIP sensor exhibited acceptable selectivity against structural analogs and major high-concentration interferents present in sweat. Sweat testosterone levels measured by the MIP sensor in an adult female presenting a part of PCOS symptoms demonstrated strong correlation with those measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (r = 0.8892). The integrated microfluidic platform, incorporating thermal stimulation and wireless transmission, establishes a streamlined "stimulate-collect-detect-transmit" workflow. This technology holds promise for future home-based endocrine screening, with the potential to integrate with luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which could significantly enhance the precision of PCOS diagnoses.