A quantitative rapid test for urine creatinine via Fenton's reaction and a self-driven microfluidic device

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Urine creatinine is crucial for assessing kidney function and normalizing other urine markers.
• Existing methods for creatinine measurement can be time-consuming or require specialized equipment.
• A need exists for rapid, accurate, and user-friendly point-of-care diagnostic tools for kidney health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel quantitative rapid test for urine creatinine measurement.
• To utilize microfluidic technology and Fenton's reaction for creatinine detection.
• To provide a visual and easily interpretable readout of creatinine levels.

Main Methods:

• A microfluidic device was designed incorporating magnetic microparticles (MMPs) and polystyrene microparticles (PMPs).
• Fenton's reaction generated hydroxyl radicals to cleave oligonucleotide linkers connecting MMPs and PMPs.
• Creatinine's inhibitory effect on hydroxyl radicals determined the degree of microparticle binding, visualized as a bar length after magnetic separation.

Main Results:

• The rapid test achieved a limit of detection (LOD) of 20.11 mg dL^-1.
• The method demonstrated high tolerance to interfering substances and a wide operational pH range.
• Comparison with a standard method using 21 clinical samples showed a concordance correlation of 0.92, indicating excellent accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic rapid test offers a reliable and accurate method for quantifying urine creatinine.
• This technology shows significant potential for point-of-care diagnostics and monitoring kidney function.
• The test's simplicity, accuracy, and compatibility make it suitable for clinical applications.