Textile-Integrated Electrochemical Sensing Approaches for Monitoring Wound-Relevant Biochemical Markers

Wearable electrochemical sensors offer promising opportunities for wound-related biochemical assessment by enabling the detection of wound-relevant biomarkers directly at the skin-wound interface. In this study, we present a textile-integrated sensor platform for dual-analyte response of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and enzymatically quantified lactate, which are key indicators of oxidative stress and metabolic activity, respectively. The redox sensor was fabricated using platinum-coated Shieldex working electrodes and Ag/AgCl reference electrodes, arranged in a coaxial winding yarn. Besides having the same type of reference electrode in the setup, the lactate sensor employed a gold-based working electrode functionalized with a chitosan-PPD-lactate oxidase (LOx) multilayer along with a platinum-based counter electrode. Electrochemical characterisation showed that the redox sensor exhibited consistent current-time response behaviour, approaching a quasi-stabilised response level within approximately 180 s, and demonstrating a measurable response trend across a broad experimentally explored H₂O₂ concentration range (from the micromolar to high millimolar range). The lactate sensor produced repeatable qualitative current increases of approximately 25% and 50% at 2 mM and 4 mM lactate, respectively, with response magnitude affected by pH and temperature. Biocompatibility testing confirmed no cytotoxic effects for gold- and platinum-based electrodes, and only moderate effects for Ag/AgCl under prolonged incubation, supporting the suitability of the primary sensing elements for wound-contact applications. Taken together, the results demonstrate proof-of-concept functionality under controlled laboratory conditions, while comprehensive analytical validation remains the subject of future work, which supports the potential of textile-based electrochemical sensors for integration into next-generation smart wound dressings. Future research will also focus on environmental compensation, enzyme stabilisation and further system optimisation for wound-relevant operation.