Glucose: Detection and analysis

Lab-created conductive filament based on nickel and graphite particles: An attractive material for the additive manufacture of enhanced electrochemical sensors for non-enzymatic and selective glucose sensing

Developing tailor-made conductive filaments has emerged as a promising niche for producing affordable and high-performance 3D-printed electrochemical sensors. In this context, we propose a novel conductive filament based on graphite, nickel, and polylactic acid (G/Ni/PLA) for the fabrication of non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors aimed at glucose (GLU) determination, a key biomarker in diabetes diagnosis. The materials were thoroughly characterized using morphological, structural, elemental, and electrochemical techniques, which confirmed the effective incorporation of G and Ni into the thermoplastic matrix. Special emphasis was placed on the electrochemical conversion of Ni2⁺ in an alkaline medium (0.1 mol L⁻1 NaOH) into redox-active species (Ni(OH)₂ and NiOOH), which mediate the electrocatalytic oxidation of GLU. Additionally, the influence of varying nickel contents (7.5 %, 10 %, and 12.5 % wt.) on the electrochemical response towards GLU was systematically investigated, with the best performance observed at the highest nickel loading. The innovative 3D-printed G/Ni/PLA sensor was integrated with a batch injection analysis (BIA) system for rapid and sensitive amperometric detection of GLU in artificial biological fluids. The sensor demonstrated a wide linear range (50-1500 μmol L⁻1), a low detection limit (2.6 μmol L⁻1), excellent repeatability (RSD < 9.0 %), and high selectivity, even in the presence of potential interferents such as urea, uric acid, and ascorbic acid. Furthermore, the method was successfully applied to analyze synthetic saliva (a non-invasive sample matrix) and blood plasma under normal and abnormal GLU levels, achieving satisfactory recovery rates ranging from 93 % to 100 %. Therefore, the proposed analytical approach is simple, selective, precise, and accurate, making it highly suitable for non-enzymatic GLU sensing in clinical samples, contributing to the effective diagnosis of diabetes.

A Platform for the Glucose Biosensor Based on Dendritic Gold Nanostructures and Polyaniline-Gold Nanoparticles Nanocomposite

Diabetes mellitus is a pathological condition that requires continuous measurement of glucose concentration in human blood. In this study, two enzymatic mediator-free glucose biosensors based on premodified graphite rod (GR) electrodes were developed and compared. GR electrode modified with electrochemically synthesized dendritic gold nanostructures (DGNS), a cystamine (Cys) self-assembled monolayer (SAM), and glucose oxidase (GOx) (GR/DGNS/Cys/GOx) and GR electrode modified with DGNS, Cys SAM, enzymatically obtained polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites with embedded 6 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and GOx (GR/DGNS/Cys/PANI-AuNPs-GOx/GOx) were investigated electrochemically. Biosensors based on GR/DGNS/Cys/GOx and GR/DGNS/Cys/PANI-AuNPs-GOx/GOx electrodes were characterized by a linear range (LR) of up to 1.0 mM of glucose, storage stability of over 71 days, sensitivity of 93.7 and 72.0 μA/(mM cm2), limit of detection (LOD) of 0.027 and 0.034 mM, reproducibility of 13.6 and 9.03%, and repeatability of 8.96 and 8.01%, respectively. The GR/DGNS/Cys/PANI-AuNPs-GOx/GOx electrode was proposed as more favorable for glucose concentration determination in serum due to its better stability and resistance to interfering electrochemically active species. The technological solutions presented in this paper are expected to enable the development of innovative mediator-free enzymatic glucose biosensors, offering advantages for clinical assays, particularly for controlling blood glucose concentration in individuals with diabetes.

Multiscale and stimuli-responsive biosensing in biomedical applications: Emerging biomaterials based on aggregation-induced emission luminogens

Biosensors play a critical role in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of diseases, with diverse applications ranging from molecular diagnostics to in vivo imaging. Conventional fluorescence-based biosensors, however, often suffer from aggregation-caused emission quenching (ACQ), limiting their effectiveness in high concentrations and complex environments. In contrast, the phenomenon of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) has emerged as a promising alternative, where luminescent materials exhibit strong emission in the aggregated state with good photostability, biocompatibility, large Stokes shift, high quantum yield, and tunable emission. This review article discusses the development of AIEgen-based biosensors for multiscale biosensing in biomedical applications. The integration of AIEgens with nanomaterials, such as graphene oxide and stimuli-responsive nanomaterials, can further improve the selectivity and multifunctionality of biomolecule detection. By careful molecular design, the affinity between AIEgens and specific biomolecules can be tuned, enabling the selective detection of targets like DNA, RNA, and proteins ex vivo, in vitro and in vivo, which can be applied across multiple scales, from detecting biomolecules and cellular structures to analyzing tissues and organs, underscoring their growing importance in disease diagnosis. Furthermore, we explore the potential integration of AIEgen-based biosensors with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, offering promising avenues for future advancements in this field.

Feasibility Study of Photoelectrochemical Sensing of Glucose and Urea Using BiVO4 and BiVO4/BiOCl Photoanodes

This study investigates the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of molybdenum-doped bismuth vanadate (Mo-doped BiVO4) and its heterojunction with the BiOCl layer in glucose and urea sensing. Photoelectrochemical analyses, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), revealed that the formation of a heterojunction enhanced charge carrier separation. The impact of the interaction between the surface of the photoanode and analytes on sensing performance was systematically evaluated. Among the tested configurations, Mo-doped BiVO4 exhibited superior glucose sensing with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.173 µM, while BiVO4/BiOCl demonstrated an LOD of 2.474 µM. In the context of urea sensing, Mo-doped BiVO4 demonstrated an LOD of 0.656 µM, while BiVO4/BiOCl exhibited an LOD of 0.918 µM. Notably, despite the enhanced PEC activity observed in heterostructured samples, Mo-doped BiVO4 exhibited superior sensing performance, attributable to good interaction with analytes. The photocurrent response trends-an increase with glucose concentration and a decrease with urea concentration-were attributed to oxidation and adsorption phenomena on the photoanode surface. These findings underscore the critical role of photoanode surface engineering in advancing PEC sensor technology, paving the way for more efficient environmental and biomedical applications.

Fluorescent CdTe/ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots for Sensitive Metabolite Detection in Real Samples

This study highlights the aqueous synthesis of CdTe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) and their application as fluorescence sensors for detecting critical metabolites, including folic acid, glucose, and vitamin C, in real biological samples. The synthesized QDs exhibit excellent quantum efficiency, stability, and biocompatibility, enhanced by mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) ligands, enabling eco-friendly and accurate sensing. Detection limits of 0.84 µg/mL for folic acid, 0.33 mM for glucose, and 1.15 µg/mL for vitamin C were achieved with high linearity (R2 > 0.97). These results underscore the potential of CdTe/ZnS QDs in advanced biosensing technologies, offering sensitive and selective metabolite detection through a robust FRET-based mechanism. The versatility and aqueous solubility of these QDs pave the way for their integration into multiplex diagnostic systems for enhanced biomedical applications.

Reprograming the Carbon Metabolism of Yeast for Hyperproducing Mevalonate, a Building Precursor of the Terpenoid Backbone

Utilization of microbial hosts to produce natural plant products is regarded as a promising and sustainable approach. However, achieving highly efficient production of terpenoids using microorganisms remains a significant challenge. Here, mevalonate, a building block of terpenoids, was used as a demo product to explore the potential metabolic constraints for terpenoid biosynthesis in Yarrowia lipolytica. First, by regulation of the expression of ERG12 and HMGR, the mevalonate titer was improved by 7660%. Subsequently, the native mevalonate pathway (MVA pathway) was enhanced, and the production of mevalonate increased to 4.16 g/L. To ensure a sufficient supply of acetyl-CoA, the citrate route and TCA cycle were simultaneously engineered, and the mevalonate titer was further improved to 5.25 g/L in shake flasks. Ultimately, the citrate overflow metabolism of Y. lipolytica was eliminated by deleting CEX1, resulting in the highest mevalonate titer of 101 g/L with a yield of 0.255 g/g of glucose in eukaryotes. These insights could be applied to the effective production of terpenoids and biochemicals derived from central carbon metabolic pathways.

Nanopore Identification of L-, D-Lactic Acids, D-Glucose and Gluconic Acid in the Serum of Human and Animals

DL-Lactic acid and D-glucose are important human health indicators. Their aberrant levels in body fluids may indicate a variety of human pathological conditions, suggesting an urgent need of daily monitoring. However, simultaneous and rapid analysis of DL-lactic acid and D-glucose using a sole but simple sensing system has never been reported. Here, an engineered Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A (MspA) nanopore is used to simultaneously identify DL-lactic acid and D-glucose. Highly distinguishable nanopore event features are reported. Assisted with a custom machine learning algorithm, direct identification of DL-lactic acid and D-glucose is performed with human serum, demonstrating its sensing reliability against complex and heterogeneous samples. This sensing strategy is further applied in the analysis of different animal serum samples, according to which gluconic acid is further identified. The serum samples from different animals report distinguishable levels of DL-lactic acid, D-glucose and gluconic acid, suggesting its potential applications in agricultural science and breeding industry. This sensing strategy is generally direct, rapid, economic and requires only ≈µL of input serum, suitable for point of care testing (POCT) applications.

Carbohydrate-binding module could integrate with ELISA and serve the simple and specific quantification of hyaluronic acid

Quantification is essential in the research and development of polysaccharides. However, achieving simplicity and specificity in polysaccharide quantification remains a challenging task. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on antibodies provides a straightforward and specific quantification strategy. Nevertheless, acquiring antibodies for polysaccharides is complicated. Carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), which can be efficiently obtained, exhibit the capability to specifically recognize and bind carbohydrates. In this study, we verified the feasibility of a CBM-based ELISA for the quantification of hyaluronic acid (HA) by replacing an antibody with a CBM. The CBM-based ELISA, which employed a HA-specific CBM, exhibited a linear detection range spanning from 10 to 100 μg/mL. Both intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation remained below 15 % and recoveries ranged from 96.26 % to 98.22 %, indicating favorable precision and accuracy. The method exhibited specificity exclusively to HA, suggesting its reliance on CBM binding specificity. The effectiveness of the method in analyzing commercial products was confirmed. Additionally, a comparison with the carbazole assay revealed a highly significant correlation (r = 0.994). By integrating CBMs with ELISA, the study presented a novel and easily implementable solution for simple and specific quantification of HA while also highlighting the potential of this strategy to advance polysaccharide detection.

Supramolecular-platform-assisted selective recognition of uric acid with high sensitivity via microenvironment modulation of a self-assembled probe

This report demonstrates a unique route for translating a non-responsive fluorophore into a responsive one to optically recognize uric acid (UA) in physiological-mimicking conditions. The explicit 'turn ON-turn OFF' fluorescence switching upon sequential disaggregation-reaggregation of the self-aggregated 3,3'-bisindolyl(phenyl)methane molecules materializes a straightforward, trouble-free supramolecular UA sensing platform.

Blood-based biomemristor for hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia monitoring

Thanks to its structural characteristics and signal patterns similar to those of human brain synapses, memristors are widely believed to be applicable for neuromorphic computing. However, to our knowledge, memristors have not been effectively applied in the biomedical field, especially in disease diagnosis and health monitoring. In this work, a blood-based biomemristor was prepared for in vitro detection of hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. It was found that the device exhibits excellent resistance switching (RS) behavior at lower voltage biases. Through mechanism analysis, it has been confirmed that the RS behavior is driven by Ohmic conduction and ion rearrangement. Furthermore, the hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia detection devices were constructed for the first time based on memristor logic circuits, and circuit simulations were conducted. These results confirm the feasibility of blood-based biomemristors in detecting hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, providing new prospects for the important application of memristors in the biomedical field.

Dual-mode detection of glucose based on pistol-like DNAzyme-mediated exonuclease-assisted signal cycle

Detecting glucose accurately and sensitively from clinical samples like tears and saliva is still difficult. We have created a sensor that can detect glucose with high sensitivity and accuracy by combining the use of glucose oxidase (GOx) to catalyze glucose, a pistol-like DNAzyme (PLDz) to transform the signal, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to enhance the optical properties and the exonuclease-III (Exo-III) to amplify the signal. As a result, the proposed method exhibits a low detection limit of 7.5 pM and a wide detection range covering seven orders of magnitude. The suggested dual-mode strategy provides a sensitive, precise and specific detection method for glucose. Another advantage is that the dual-mode technique significantly improves the precision and consistency of the measurements, demonstrating its immense potential for use in biomedical research and clinical diagnostics.

Differential Diagnosis of Post Pancreatitis Diabetes Mellitus Based on Pancreatic and Gut Hormone Characteristics

CONTEXT

Distinguishing different types of diabetes is important in directing optimized treatment strategies and correlated epidemiological studies.

OBJECTIVE

Through detailed analysis of hormone responses to mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT), we aimed to find representing characteristics of post-acute pancreatitis diabetes mellitus (PPDM-A) and post-chronic pancreatitis diabetes mellitus (PPDM-C).

METHODS

Participants with PPDM-A, PPDM-C, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and normal controls (NCs) underwent MMTT. Fasting and postprandial responses of serum glucose, C-peptide, insulin, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), ghrelin, gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and peptide YY (PYY) were detected and compared among different groups. Focused analysis on calculated insulin sensitivity and secretion indices were performed to determine major causes of hyperglycemia in different conditions.

RESULTS

Participants with PPDM-A were characterized by increased C-peptide, insulin, glucagon, and PP, but decreased ghrelin, GIP, and PYY compared with NCs. Patients with PPDM-C showed secretion insufficiency of C-peptide, insulin, ghrelin, and PYY, and higher postprandial responses of glucagon and PP than NCs. In particular, both fasting and postprandial levels of ghrelin in PPDM-C were significantly lower than other diabetes groups. PYY responses in patients with PPDM-A and PPDM-C were markedly reduced. Additionally, the insulin sensitivity of PPDM-A was decreased, and the insulin secretion for PPDM-C was decreased.

CONCLUSION

Along with the continuum from acute to chronic pancreatitis, the pathological mechanism of PPDM changes from insulin resistance to insulin deficiency. Insufficient PYY secretion is a promising diagnostic marker for distinguishing PPDM from type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Absent ghrelin secretion to MMTT may help identify PPDM-C.

Functionalization of Carbon Nanofibers with an Aromatic Diamine: Toward a Simple Electrochemical-Based Sensing Platform for the Selective Sensing of Glucose

Despite a variety of glucose sensors being available today, the development of nonenzymatic devices for the determination of this biologically relevant analyte is still of particular interest in several applicative sectors. Here, we report the development of an impedimetric, enzyme-free electrochemical glucose sensor based on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) functionalized with an aromatic diamine via a simple wet chemistry functionalization. The electrochemical performance of the chemically modified carbon-based screen-printed electrodes (SPCEs) was evaluated by electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), demonstrating a high selectivity of the sensor for glucose with respect to other sugars, such as fructose and sucrose. The sensing parameters to obtain a reliable calibration curve and the selective glucose sensing mechanism are discussed here, highlighting the performance of this novel electrochemical sensor for the selective sensing of this important analyte. Two linear trends were noted, one at low concentrations (0-1200 μM) and the other from 1200 to 5000 μM. The limit of detection (LOD), calculated as the (standard error/slope)*3.3, was 18.64 μM. The results of this study highlight the performance of the developed novel electrochemical sensor for the selective sensing of glucose.

Advances in Chromatographic and Mass Spectrometric Techniques for Analyzing Reducing Monosaccharides and Their Phosphates in Biological Samples

Reducing monosaccharides and their phosphates are critical metabolites in the central carbon metabolism pathway of living organisms. Variations in their content can indicate abnormalities in metabolic pathways and the onset of certain diseases, necessitating their analysis and detection. Reducing monosaccharides and their phosphates exhibit significant variations in content within biological samples and are present in many isomers, which makes the accurate quantification of reducing monosaccharides and their phosphates in biological samples a challenging task. Various analytical methods such as spectroscopy, fluorescence detection, colorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, sensor-based techniques, chromatography, and mass spectrometry are employed to detect monosaccharides and phosphates. In comparison, chromatography and mass spectrometry are highly favored for their ability to simultaneously analyze multiple components and their high sensitivity and selectivity. This review thoroughly evaluates the current chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods used for detecting reducing monosaccharides and their phosphates from 2013 to 2023, highlighting their efficacy and the advancements in these analytical technologies.

Colorimetric Glucose Biosensor Based on Chitosan Films and Its Application for Glucose Detection in Beverages Using a Smartphone Application

Nowadays, biosensors are gaining increasing interest in foods' and beverages' quality control, owing to their economic production, enhanced sensitivity, specificity, and faster analysis. In particular, colorimetric biosensors can be combined with color recognition applications on smartphones for the detection of analytes, rendering the whole procedure more applicable in everyday life. Herein, chitosan (CS) films were prepared with the deep eutectic solvent (DES) choline chloride/urea/glycerol (ChCl:U:Gly). Glucose oxidase (GOx), a widely utilized enzyme in quality control, was immobilized within CS films through glutaraldehyde (GA), leading to the formation of CS/GOx films. The optimized GOx concentration and DES content were determined for the films. Moreover, the effect of the pH and temperature of the glucose oxidation reaction on the enzymatic activity of GOx was studied. The structure, stability, and specificity of the CS/GOx films as well as the Km values of free and immobilized GOx were also determined. Finally, the analytical performance of the films was studied by using both a spectrophotometer and a color recognition application on a smartphone. The results demonstrated that the films were highly accurate, specific to glucose, and stable when stored at 4 °C for 4 weeks and when reused 10 times, without evident activity loss. Furthermore, the films displayed a good linear response range (0.1-0.8 mM) and a good limit of detection (LOD, 33 μM), thus being appropriate for the estimation of glucose concentration in real samples through a smartphone application.

Development of a point-of-care colorimetric metabolomic sensor platform

Metabolomics is the large-scale study of small molecule metabolites within a biological system. It has applications in measuring dietary intake, predicting heart disease risk, and diagnosing cancer. Metabolites are often measured using high-end analytical tools such as mass spectrometers or large spectrophotometers. However, due to their size, cost, and need for skilled operators, using such equipment at the bedside is not practical. To address this issue, we have developed a low-cost, portable, optical color sensor platform for metabolite detection. This platform includes LEDs, sensors, microcontrollers, a power source, and a Bluetooth chip enclosed within a 3D-printed light-tight case. We evaluated the color sensor's performance using both a range of dyed water samples as well as well-established colorimetric reactions for specific metabolite detection. The sensor accurately measured creatinine, L-carnitine, ascorbate, and succinate well within normal human urine levels with accuracy and sensitivity equal to or better than a standard laboratory spectrophotometer. Our color sensor offers a cost-effective, portable alternative for measuring metabolites via colorimetric assays, thereby enabling low-cost, point-of-care metabolite testing.

Glucose Oxidase Activity Colorimetric Assay Using Redox-Sensitive Electrochromic Nanoparticle-Functionalized Paper Sensors

Glucose oxidase (GOx) activity assays are vital for various applications, including glucose metabolism estimation and fungal testing. However, conventional methods involve time-consuming and complex procedures. In this study, we present a colorimetric platform for in situ GOx activity measurement utilizing redox-sensitive electrochromic nanoparticles based on polyaniline (PAni). The glucose-adsorbed colorimetric paper sensor, herein termed Glu@CPS, is created by immobilizing ferrocene and glucose onto paper substrates that have been functionalized with PAni nanoparticles. Glu@CPS not only demonstrated rapid detection (within 5 min) but also exhibited remarkable selectivity for GOx and a limit of detection as low as 1.25 μM. Moreover, Glu@CPS demonstrated consistent accuracy in the measurement of GOx activity, exhibiting no deviations even after being stored at ambient temperature for a duration of one month. To further corroborate the effectiveness of this method, we applied Glu@CPS in the detection of GOx activity in a moldy red wine. The results highlight the promising potential of Glu@CPS as a convenient and precise platform for GOx activity measurement in diverse applications including food quality control, environmental monitoring, and early detection of fungal contamination.

Reagentless Glucose Biosensor Based on Combination of Platinum Nanostructures and Polypyrrole Layer

Two types of low-cost reagentless electrochemical glucose biosensors based on graphite rod (GR) electrodes were developed. The electrodes modified with electrochemically synthesized platinum nanostructures (PtNS), 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (PD), glucose oxidase (GOx) without and with a polypyrrole (Ppy) layer-(i) GR/PtNS/PD/GOx and (ii) GR/PtNS/PD/GOx/Ppy, respectively, were prepared and tested. Glucose biosensors based on GR/PtNS/PD/GOx and GR/PtNS/PD/GOx/Ppy electrodes were characterized by the sensitivity of 10.1 and 5.31 μA/(mM cm2), linear range (LR) up to 16.5 and 39.0 mM, limit of detection (LOD) of 0.198 and 0.561 mM, good reproducibility, and storage stability. The developed glucose biosensors based on GR/PtNS/PD/GOx/Ppy electrodes showed exceptional resistance to interfering compounds and proved to be highly efficient for the determination of glucose levels in blood serum.

Gum Arabic-mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles for their applications as colorimetric and SERS-based detection of hydrogen peroxide

We report on the one-step green method to synthesize Gum Arabic stabilized silver nanoparticles (GA-Ag NPs). The synthesized particles are monodispersed and in the size range of 15-20 nm. The synthesized Ag NPs are used as a colorimetric sensor for the detection of H2O2 and glucose with a detection limit of 11.7 nM and 0.13 µM, respectively. The sensor has also been used for the detection of H2O2 in water samples and glucose in human blood serum samples. The GA-Ag NPs decorated on filter paper have also shown excellent SERS activity for the detection of H2O2 with a detection limit of 0.56 µM.

Paper-based ratiometric fluorescent sensing platform based on mixed quantum dots for the detection of glucose in urine

A paper-based ratiometric fluorescent sensing platform has been developed for glucose detection based on a dual-emission fluorescent probe consisting of carbon quantum dots (C QDs) and CdTe QDs. When the two kinds of QDs are mixed, the fluorescence of C QDs is reversibly quenched by CdTe QDs. However, in the presence of glucose, the fluorescence of CdTe QDs is quenched by H2O2 catalyzed by glucose oxidase (GOx), which restores the fluorescence of C QDs. The proposed paper-based ratiometric fluorescent sensing platform exhibited good sensitivity and selectivity towards glucose. The working linear range was 0.1 mM to 50 mM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.026 mM. Additionally, the proposed paper-based sensor possesses viability for the determination of glucose in actual urine samples.

Current advancements and prospects of enzymatic and non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensors

This review discusses the most current developments and future perspectives in enzymatic and non-enzymatic glucose sensors, which have notably evolved over the preceding quadrennial period. Furthermore, a thorough exploration encompassed the sensor's intricate fabrication processes, the diverse range of materials employed, the underlying principles of detection, and an in-depth assessment of the sensors' efficacy in detecting glucose levels within essential bodily fluids such as human blood serums, urine, saliva, and interstitial fluids. It is worth noting that the accurate quantification of glucose concentrations within human blood has been effectively achieved by utilizing classical enzymatic sensors harmoniously integrated with optical and electrochemical transduction mechanisms. Monitoring glucose levels in various mediums has attracted exceptional attention from industrial to academic researchers for diabetes management, food quality control, clinical medicine, and bioprocess inspection. There has been an enormous demand for the creation of novel glucose sensors over the past ten years. Research has primarily concentrated on succeeding biocompatible and enhanced sensing abilities related to the present technologies, offering innovative avenues for more effective glucose sensors. Recent developments in wearable optical and electrochemical sensors with low cost, high stability, point-of-care testing, and online tracking of glucose concentration levels in biological fluids can aid in managing and controlling diabetes globally. New nanomaterials and biomolecules that can be used in electrochemical sensor systems to identify glucose concentration levels are developed thanks to advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Both enzymatic and non-enzymatic glucose electrochemical sensors have garnered much interest recently and have made significant strides in detecting glucose levels. In this review, we summarise several categories of non-enzymatic glucose sensor materials, including composites, non-precious transition metals and their metal oxides, hydroxides, precious metals and their alloys, carbon-based materials, conducting polymers, metal-organic framework (MOF)-based electrocatalysts, and wearable device-based glucose sensors deeply.

Advances in nanostructured material-based non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensors

Non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors that use functional materials to directly catalyze glucose have shown great promise in diabetes management, food control, and bioprocess inspection owing to the advantages of high sensitivity, long-term stability, and low cost. Recently, in order to produce enhanced electrochemical behavior, significant efforts have been devoted to the preparation of functional materials with regular nanostructure, as it provides high specific surface area and well-defined strong active sites for electrochemical sensing. However, the structure-performance correlation in this field has not been reviewed thoroughly in the literature. This review aims to present a comprehensive report on advanced zero- to three-dimensional nanostructures based on the geometric feature and to discuss in depth their structural effects on enzyme-free electrochemical detection of glucose. It starts by illustrating the sensing principles of nanostructured materials, followed by a detailed discussion on the structural effects related to the features of each dimension. The structure-performance correlation is explored by comparing the performance derived from diverse dimensional architectures, which is beneficial for the better design of regular nanostructure to achieve efficient enzyme-free sensing of glucose. Finally, future directions of non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensors to solve emerging challenges and further improve the sensing performance are also proposed.

Colorimetric immunoassay of carcinoembryonic antigen based on the glucose oxidase/MnO2 nanosheet cascade reaction with self-supplying oxygen

The detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has profound implications in cancer diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring. In this work, we developed a colorimetric immunoassay for the detection of CEA. This assay involves the utilization of zinc(II)-based coordination polymers (ZnCPs) as a host for integrating glucose oxidase (GOx) and anti-carcinoembryonic antigen antibody (anti-CEA), which results in the formation of a detection antibody (anti-CEA/GOx@ZnCPs). The adaptable inclusion properties of ZnCPs enable the preservation of the original catalytic behavior of GOx and antigen capture ability of anti-CEA. Consequently, the anti-CEA/GOx@ZnCPs can act as a detection antibody to facilitate the development of an immunoassay. The combination of anti-CEA/GOx@ZnCPs in the immunoassay triggers a cascade reaction involving GOx and MnO2 nanosheets, leading to the generation of an amplified colorimetric signal through self-supplying oxygen. This colorimetric immunoassay exhibits a linear response ranging from 2 to 180 ng mL-1 CEA and has a detection limit of 50 pg mL-1. The practicality of this colorimetric immunoassay in biological matrices was demonstrated by the successful determination of CEA in serum samples with good recovery and precision. We believe that this study will pave the way to rationally design multifunctional CP-based composites for a wide range of applications in bioanalysis.

Exceptional peroxidase-like activity of an iron and copper based organic framework nanosheet for consecutive colorimetric biosensing of glucose and kanamycin in real food samples

Two-dimensional metal-organic framework nanosheets are attractive as peroxidase mimicking nanocatalysts due to their rich chemical functional groups, large surface area, high porosity, and accessible active sites. In this study, we synthesized FeCu bifunctional 2D MOF nanosheets using a solvothermal method. Fe and Cu ions were added as metal precursors, while organic amine and acid served as the organic ligands to construct the FeCu-MOF nanosheets. These nanosheets demonstrated robust peroxidase-like catalytic activities and were employed to develop a visual detection system for multiple targets, such as glucose and kanamycin. In the detection mechanism, glucose was oxidized into gluconic acid by glucose oxidase (GOx), leading to the generation of H2O2. When H2O2 is present, the FeCu-MOF NSs demonstrate high intrinsic peroxidase-like activity, which might catalytically oxidize 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into a blue-coloured oxTMB product with a strong UV absorption at 654 nm. Subsequently, kanamycin was added to the above sensing system. The kanamycin strongly interacted with the FeCu-MOF NSs through H-bonding and blocked electron transfer, resulting in a colour change of the solution from blue to colourless with a weak UV absorption at 654 nm. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed colorimetric sensor exhibits an excellent linear response to glucose and kanamycin over the 0.25-5 μM and 0.02-0.1 μM ranges, respectively. The proposed colorimetric assay detection limits for glucose and kanamycin were found to be as low as 0.1 μM and 8 nM, respectively, and such a sensor shows excellent selectivity and sensitivity against different potential interferents. Thus, our proposed colorimetric assay was satisfactory when applied to glucose and kanamycin detection in agricultural and livestock husbandry samples.

4D-printed needle panel meters coupled with enzymatic derivatization for reading urea and glucose concentrations in biological samples

On-site analytical techniques continue being developed with advances in modern technology. To demonstrate the applicability of four-dimensional printing (4DP) technologies in the direct fabrication of stimuli-responsive analytical devices for on-site determination of urea and glucose, we used digital light processing three-dimensional printing (3DP) and 2-carboxyethyl acrylate (CEA)-incorporated photocurable resins to fabricate all-in-one needle panel meters. When adding a sample having a value of pH above the pKa of CEA (ca. 4.6-5.0) into the fabricated needle panel meter, the [H+]-responsive layer of the needle, printed using the CEA-incorporated photocurable resins, swelled as a result of electrostatic repulsion among the dissociated carboxyl groups of the copolymer, leading to [H+]-dependent bending of the needle. When coupled with a derivatization reaction (urease-mediated hydrolysis of urea to decrease [H+]; glucose oxidase-mediated oxidization of glucose to increase [H+]), the bending of the needle allowed reliable quantification of urea or glucose when referencing pre-calibrated concentration scales. After method optimization, the method's detection limits for urea and glucose were 4.9 and 7.0 μM, respectively, within a working concentration range from 0.1 to 10 mM. We verified the reliability of this analytical method by determining the concentrations of urea and glucose in samples of human urine, fetal bovine serum, and rat plasma with spike analyses and comparing the results with those obtained using commercial assay kits. Our results confirm that 4DP technologies can allow the direct fabrication of stimuli-responsive devices for quantitative chemical analysis, and that they can advance the development and applicability of 3DP-enabling analytical methods.

Facile synthesis of a CuSe/PVP nanocomposite for ultrasensitive non-enzymatic glucose biosensing

Non-enzymatic glucose biosensors show high sensitivity, lower response time, wide linear range and low cost. Copper based composites show excellent electrocatalytic tunability and lead to a better charge transfer in electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose biosensors. In this work, a nanocomposite of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and copper selenide was synthesized by a facile one pot sol gel method. Synthesized nanomaterials were characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV-visible spectroscopy, SEM, EDS and XPS techniques. Electrochemical behavior was analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impendence (EIS) and chronoamperometry techniques. XRD analysis revealed a hexagonal structure and crystalline nature of CuSe/PVP. FTIR spectra depicted C-N bonding at 1284 cm-1 and C[double bond, length as m-dash]O stretching at 1634 cm-1, which indicated the presence of PVP in the nanocomposite. Stretching at 823 cm-1 was attributed to the presence of copper selenide. UV-visible absorption indicated the bandgap of copper selenide/PVP at 2.7 eV. SEM analysis revealed a flake like morphology of CuSe/PVP. EDS and XPS analysis confirmed the presence of copper and selenium in the prepared nanocomposite. Prior to employing for biosensing applications, it is important to evaluate the antibacterial activity of nanomaterials for long term use in biological in vitro testing. These materials have shown an efficient inhibition zone of 26 mm against Gram negative Pseudomonas at 50 μg ml-1 and MIC value of 10 μg ml-1. Cyclic voltammetry shows that CuSe/PVP is a promising biosensor for monitoring glucose levels in a wide linear range of 0.5 mM to 3 mM at an excellent sensitivity of 13 450 μA mM-1 cm-2 with an LOD of 0.223 μM. Chronoamperometry measurements revealed a selective behavior of CuSe/PVP for glucose biosensing amongst ascorbic acid and dopamine as common interfering molecules. The nanocomposite was stable after 8 repeated cycles with 92% retention for glucose sensing capacity. This is attributed to the stable nature of the CuSe/PVP nanocomposite as well as higher surface area of available active sites. Herein the CuSe/PVP nanocomposite offered reasonable selectivity, high sensitivity wide linear range with very low LOD, as well as being abundant in nature, this Cu based biosensor has promising applications for future point of care tests (POCT).

The Slight Adjustment in the Weight of Sulfur Sheets to Synthesize β-NiS Nanobelts for Maintaining Detection of Lower Concentrations of Glucose through a Long-Term Storage Test

The β-nickel sulfide (β-NiS) nanobelts were fabricated by electrodepositing a nickel nanosheet film on Indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrates and sulfuring the nickel film on ITO-coated glass substrates. The sulfurization method can be used to form nanobelts without a template. A small glass tube was used to anneal the sulfur sheet with a nickel nanosheet film. After applying vacuum to the tube, the specimen was annealed at 500 °C. By adjusting the weight of the sulfur sheet in a small glass tube, a nanobelt structure can be formed on the film for 4 h. The β-NiS nanobelt film had a sulfide and nickel molar ratio that was nearly 0.7 (S/Ni). After five years of a long-term storage test, the β-NiS nanobelt films were able to measure the glucose in a solution with the value of sensitivity of 8.67 µA cm-2 µM-1. The β-NiS nanobelt film also detected glucose with a limit of low detection (LOD) of around 0.173 µM. The estimation of reproducibility was over 98%. Therefore, the β-NiS nanobelt film has a significant ability to detect low concentrations of glucose in a solution.

Noninvasive blood glucose sensing by secondary speckle pattern artificial intelligence analyses

SIGNIFICANCE

Diabetes is a prevalent disease worldwide that can cause severe health problems. Accurate blood glucose detection is crucial for diabetes management, and noninvasive methods can be more convenient and less painful than traditional finger-prick methods.

AIM

We aim to report a noncontact speckle-based blood glucose measurement system that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) data processing to improve glucose detection accuracy. The study also explores the influence of an alternating current (AC) induced magnetic field on the sensitivity and selectivity of blood glucose detection.

APPROACH

The proposed blood glucose sensor consists of a digital camera, an AC-generated magnetic field source, a laser illuminating the subject's finger, and a computer. A magnetic field is applied to the finger, and a camera records the speckle patterns generated by the laser light reflected from the finger. The acquired video data are preprocessed for machine learning (ML) and deep neural networks (DNNs) to classify blood plasma glucose levels. The standard finger-prick method is used as a reference for blood glucose level classification.

RESULTS

The study found that the noncontact speckle-based blood glucose measurement system with AI data processing allows for the detection of blood plasma glucose levels with high accuracy. The ML approach gives better results than the tested DNNs as the proposed data preprocessing is highly selective and efficient.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed noncontact blood glucose sensing mechanism utilizing AI data processing and a magnetic field can potentially improve glucose detection accuracy, making it more convenient and less painful for patients. The system also allows for inexpensive blood glucose sensing mechanisms and fast blood glucose screening. The results suggest that noninvasive methods can improve blood glucose detection accuracy, which can have significant implications for diabetes management. Investigations involving representative sampling data, including subjects of different ages, gender, race, and health status, could allow for further improvement.

The Development and Evaluation of Reagentless Glucose Biosensors Using Dendritic Gold Nanostructures as a Promising Sensing Platform

Reagentless electrochemical glucose biosensors were developed and investigated. A graphite rod (GR) electrode modified with electrochemically synthesized dendritic gold nanostructures (DGNs) and redox mediators (Med) such as ferrocenecarboxylic acid (FCA), 1,10-phenathroline-5,6-dione (PD), N,N,N',N'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) or tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) in combination with glucose oxidase (GOx) (GR/DGNs/FCA/GOx, GR/DGNs/PD/GOx, GR/DGNs/TMB/GOx, or GR/DGNs/TTF/GOx) were developed and electrochemically investigated. A biosensor based on threefold-layer-by-layer-deposited PD and GOx (GR/DGNs/(PD/GOx)₃) was found to be the most suitable for the determination of glucose. To improve the performance of the developed biosensor, the surface of the GR/DGNs/(PD/GOx)₃ electrode was modified with polypyrrole (Ppy) for 5 h. A glucose biosensor based on a GR/DGNs/(PD/GOx)₃/Ppy_{(5 h)} electrode was characterized using a wide linear dynamic range of up to 39.0 mmol L^-1 of glucose, sensitivity of 3.03 µA mM^-1 cm^-2, limit of detection of 0.683 mmol L^-1, and repeatability of 9.03% for a 29.4 mmol L^-1 glucose concentration. The Ppy-based glucose biosensor was characterized by a good storage stability (τ_1/2 = 9.0 days). Additionally, the performance of the developed biosensor in blood serum was investigated.

Determination of sugar content in honey using LC-Raman and programmable pump-Raman methods

We combined (i) liquid chromatography and Raman spectrometry (LC-Raman) and (ii) programmable pump and Raman spectrometry (PP-Raman) to separate and identify compounds in a mixture. These techniques were applied to conduct a quantitative analysis of the sugars in honey. The spectral and temporal axes of the LC-Raman data were analyzed using the MCR-ALS analysis procedure, which enabled the separation and identification of four sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, and trehalose). The PP-Raman method was employed to examine the sugar concentration dependence of the intensity pattern of the Raman spectrum, and the linear concentration dependence of the intensity was obtained. The sugar contents were quantitatively determined from the integrated area of the elution peaks. The result was consistent with those derived from mass spectrometry and previous studies. The origin of the errors in the derived sugar contents is discussed. Our study presents a novel quantitative LC-Raman spectrometric method that does not rely on resonance or surface enhancement effects.

Fabrication of glucose bioelectrochemical sensor based on Au@Pd core-shell supported by carboxylated graphene oxide

The study presents a novel electrochemical glucose biosensor based on glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilized on Au@Pd core-shell nanoparticles supported on carboxylated graphene oxide (cGO). The immobilization of GOx was achieved by cross-linking the chitosan biopolymer (CS) including Au@Pd/cGO and glutaraldehyde (GA) on a glassy carbon electrode. The analytical performance of GCE/Au@Pd/cGO-CS/GA/GOx was investigated using amperometry. The biosensor had fast response time (5.2 ± 0.9 s), a satisfactory linear determination range between 2.0 × 10^-5 and 4.2 × 10^-3 M, and limit of detection of 10.4 μM. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K_app) was calculated as 3.04 mM. The fabricated biosensor also exhibited good repeatability, reproducibility, and storage stability. No interfering signals from dopamine, uric acid, ascorbic acid, paracetamol, folic acid, mannose, sucrose, and fructose were observed. The large electroactive surface area of carboxylated graphene oxide is a promising candidate for sensor preparation.

Quantifying Microalgae Growth by the Optical Detection of Glucose in the NIR Waveband

Microalgae have become a popular area of research over the past few decades due to their enormous benefits to various sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and food and feed. Nevertheless, the benefits of microalgae cannot be fully exploited without the optimization of their upstream production. The growth of microalgae is commonly measured based on the optical density of the sample. However, the presence of debris in the culture and the optical absorption of the intercellular components affect the accuracy of this measurement. As a solution, this paper introduces the direct optical detection of glucose molecules at 940-960 nm to accurately measure the growth of microalgae. In addition, this paper also discusses the effects of the presence of glucose on the absorption of free water molecules in the culture. The potential of the optical detection of glucose as a complement to the commonly used optical density measurement at 680 nm is discussed in this paper. Lastly, a few recommendations for future works are presented to further verify the credibility of glucose detection for the accurate determination of microalgae's growth.

Predicting the Glycemic Index of Biscuits Using Static In Vitro Digestion Protocols

In vitro digestion methods that can accurately predict the estimated GI (eGI) values of complex carbohydrate foods, including biscuits, are worth exploring. In the current study, standard commercial biscuits with varied clinical GI values between 9~30 were digested using both the INFOGEST and single-enzyme digestion protocols. The digestion kinetic parameters were acquired through mathematical fitting by mathematical kinetics models. The results showed that compared with the INFOGEST protocol, the AUR180 deduced from digesting using either porcine pancreatin or α-amylase showed the best potential in predicting the eGI values. Accordingly, mathematical equations were established based on the relations between the AUR180 and the GI values. When digesting using porcine pancreatin, GI= 1.834 + 0.009 ×AUCR180 (R2= 0.952), and when digesting using only α-amylase, GI= 6.101 + 0.009 ×AUCR180 (R2=0.902). The AUR180 represents the area under the curve of the reducing-sugar content normalized to the total carbohydrates versus the digestion time in 180 min. The in vitro method presented enabled the rapid and accurate prediction of the eGI values of biscuits, and the validity of the formula was verified by another batch of biscuits with a known GI, and the error rate of most samples was less than 30%.

Highly Sensitive and Selective Graphene Nanoribbon Based Enzymatic Glucose Screen-Printed Electrochemical Sensor

A simple, sensitive, cost effective, and reliable enzymatic glucose biosensor was developed and tested. Nitrogen-doped heat-treated graphene oxide nanoribbons (N-htGONR) were used for modification of commercially available screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs), together with MnO₂ and glucose oxidase. The resulting sensors were optimized and used to detect glucose in a wide linear range (0.05-5.0 mM) by a simple amperometric method, where the limit of detection was determined to be 0.008 mM. (lifetime), and reproducibility studies were also carried out and yielded favorable results. The sensor was then tested against potential interfering species present in food and beverage samples before its application to real matrix. Spiked beer samples were analyzed (with glucose recovery between 93.5 and 103.5%) to demonstrate the suitability of the developed sensor towards real food and beverage sample applications.

A Sensitive and Selective Colorimetric Method Based on the Acetylcholinesterase-like Activity of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 and Its Applications

In this study, a simple colorimetric method was established to detect copper ion (Cu²⁺), sulfathiazole (ST), and glucose based on the acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-like activity of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). The AChE-like activity of ZIF-8 can hydrolyze acetylthiocholine chloride (ATCh) to thiocholine (TCh), which will further react with 5,5′-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) to generate 2-nitro-5-thiobenzoic acid (TNB) that has a maximum absorption peak at 405 nm. The effects of different reaction conditions (buffer pH, the volume of ZIF-8, reaction temperature and time, and ATCh concentration) were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the value of the Michaelis-Menten constant (K_m) is measured to be 0.83 mM, which shows a high affinity toward the substrate (ATCh). Meanwhile, the ZIF-8 has good storage stability, which can maintain more than 80.0% of its initial activity after 30 days of storage at room temperature, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of batch-to-batch (n = 3) is 5.1%. The linear dependences are obtained based on the AChE-like activity of ZIF-8 for the detection of Cu²⁺, ST, and glucose in the ranges of 0.021–1.34 and 5.38–689.66 µM, 43.10–517.24 µM, and 0.0054–1.40 mM, respectively. The limit of detections (LODs) are calculated to be 20.00 nM, 9.25 µM, and 5.24 µM, respectively. Moreover, the sample spiked recoveries of Cu²⁺ in lake water, ST in milk, and glucose in strawberry samples were measured, and the results are in the range of 98.4–115.4% with the RSD (n = 3) lower than 3.3%. In addition, the method shows high selectivity in the real sample analysis.

Glucose Starvation-Caused Oxidative Stress Induces Inflammation and Autophagy in Human Gingival Fibroblasts

Gingival tissue experiences an environment of nutrient shortage, such as low glucose conditions, after periodontal surgery. Our previous studies found that this low glucose condition inhibits normal gingival cell functions. However, the mechanism by which this glucose-deficient environment causes cellular damage to human gingival fibroblasts (HGnFs) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the biological effects of ROS induction on HGnFs under low glucose conditions. ROS levels and cellular anti-ROS ability of HGnFs under different glucose concentrations were evaluated by measuring ROS formation and the expression of superoxide dismutase and heme oxygenase 1. Changes in cellular viability were investigated using 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine assay and cell survival detection, and the cellular damage was evaluated by the expression of inflammatory cytokines and changes in the expression of autophagy-related protein. ROS formation was then blocked using N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and the effects of ROS on HGnFs under low glucose conditions were investigated. Low glucose conditions induced ROS accumulation, reduced cellular activity, and induced inflammation and autophagy. After NAC application, the anti-ROS capacity increased, cellular activity improved, and inflammation and autophagy were controlled. This can be effectively controlled by the application of antioxidants such as NAC.

Imprinted-Zeolite-X-Based Sensor for Non-Enzymatic Detection of Blood Glucose by Potentiometry

The development of sensors based on imprinted zeolite X to detect blood glucose through potentiometry was performed. In this study, the sensor was made of a mixture of carbon paste and imprinted zeolite X. Zeolite X was synthesized using a sol–gel-hydrothermal method at a temperature of 100 °C with basic materials of NaAlO2, NaOH, TEOS, and distilled water. The characterization results of XRD showed the presence of specific peaks, which were confirmed with standard zeolite X. Imprinted zeolite X exhibited a 20 times greater adsorption capacity size, and an adsorption efficiency 3 times greater than that of zeolite X. This is thought to be due to the presence of a molecular template within it. The IZ–carbon paste electrode showed optimum performance due to a mass ratio of carbon, paraffin, and imprinted zeolite X of 12:7:1. The electrode performance was expressed by the Nernst factor value of 30 mV/decade, the measuring range of 10−4–10−2 M, the upper detection limit of 1.38 × 10−2 M, and the lower detection limit of 1.28 × 10−4 M, so this electrode can be used for glucose analysis with a normal concentration (70–110 mg/dL or equivalent to 3.8 × 10−3–6.1 × 10−3 M), as well as the glucose concentration of people with diabetes mellitus (>200 mg/dL or about 10−2 M). This electrode showed precision values of 97.14–99.02%, accuracy values of 98.65–99.39%, and electrode response times of 10–13 s. The electrodes showed high stability for more than 5 weeks with 141 uses. The electrodes also showed high selectivity for glucose in the matrix of uric acid, urea, NaCl, and KCl. Therefore, its use as an alternative electrode for routine glucose analysis in the medical field is recommended.

Fast and efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose triggered by Cu2O-CuO nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes

Electrocatalytic glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) is the key to construct sophisticated devices for fast and accurately detecting trace glucose in blood and food. Herein, a noble-metal-free Cu/C-60 catalyst is fabricated by supporting Cu₂O-CuO nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes through a novel discharge process. For GOR, Cu/C-60 shows a sensitivity as high as 532 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻², a detection limit as low as 1 μM and a steady-state response time of only 5.5 s. Moreover, Cu/C-60 has outstanding stability and anti-interference ability to impurities. The synergistic effect of Cu₂O-CuO could improve the adsorption and conversion of glucose, thus enhancing GOR performance. By using Cu/C-60, we fabricate a three-electrode chip. A portable and compact electrochemical system is constructed by connecting the three-electrode chip with Cu/C-60 to an integrated circuit board and a mobile phone for recording and displaying data. The portable and compact electrochemical system results in a GOR sensitivity of 501 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻², which is close to the data measured on the bloated electrochemical workstation. The detection limit of the portable and compact electrochemical system in GOR is 50 μM. This is higher than those obtained on the bloated electrochemical workstation, but is much lower than the common blood glucose concentration of human body (>3 mM). This demonstrates the accuracy, reasonability and applicability of the portable and compact electrochemical system. The results of the present work are helpful for fabricating fast, efficient and portable devices for detecting trace amount of glucose in blood and food.

Paper-Based Enzymatic Electrochemical Sensors for Glucose Determination

The general objective of Analytical Chemistry, nowadays, is to obtain best-quality information in the shortest time to contribute to the resolution of real problems. In this regard, electrochemical biosensors are interesting alternatives to conventional methods thanks to their great characteristics, both those intrinsically analytical (precision, sensitivity, selectivity, etc.) and those more related to productivity (simplicity, low costs, and fast response, among others). For many years, the scientific community has made continuous progress in improving glucose biosensors, being this analyte the most important in the biosensor market, due to the large amount of people who suffer from diabetes mellitus. The sensitivity of the electrochemical techniques combined with the selectivity of the enzymatic methodologies have positioned electrochemical enzymatic sensors as the first option. This review, focusing on the electrochemical determination of glucose using paper-based analytical devices, shows recent approaches in the use of paper as a substrate for low-cost biosensing. General considerations on the principles of enzymatic detection and the design of paper-based analytical devices are given. Finally, the use of paper in enzymatic electrochemical biosensors for glucose detection, including analytical characteristics of the methodologies reported in relevant articles over the last years, is also covered.

Separation of Monosaccharide Anomers on Photo-Click Cysteine-Based Stationary Phase: The α/β Interconversion Process Studied by Dynamic Hydrophilic Liquid Chromatography

In High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), the separation of reducing sugars can typically show three possible typologies of chromatographic profiles (i.e., single peak, two resolved peaks and two peaks interconnected by a plateau) due to the rate at which the relevant α/β anomers interconversion (anomerization) can take place in relation to their elution-time. By analyzing these chromatographic profiles, thermodynamic and kinetic properties of anomerization phenomenon can be extrapolated. In this work we studied the anomerization of some monosaccharides by using a recently developed photo-click cysteine-based stationary phase through dynamic hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (D-HILIC) conditions. In the 5–25 °C temperature range, the ΔG#α→β and ΔG#β→α barriers were found to achieve values within the interval 21.1/22.2 kcal/mol for glucose, with differences between α→β and β→α reactions of about 0.4 kcal/mol. For xylose, in the same temperature range, the ΔG#α→β and ΔG#β→α barriers are between 20.7 to 21.5 kcal/mol, with differences between α→β and β→α reactions of about 0.2 kcal/mol. The experimental data are in agreement with those reported in literature, confirming the this new stationary phase using HILIC conditions is a robust platform to measure kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the isomerization reaction.

Metal-doped carbon dots as peroxidase mimic for hydrogen peroxide and glucose detection

Carbon dots (CDs) have several superior characteristics including sufficient carbon sources, easy preparation, no toxicity, and high catalytic efficiency as a new kind of nanozyme. Herein, Ce-doped carbon dots (Ce-CDs), Cr-doped carbon dots (Cr-CDs), Cu-doped carbon dots (Cu-CDs), Fe-doped carbon dots (Fe-CDs), Mn-doped carbon dots (Mn-CDs), and non-metal-doped carbon dots (0-CDs) were synthesized to explore the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and glucose as peroxidase mimic. The prepared CDs could efficiently oxidize the colorless 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into blue oxTMB in the presence of H2O2. After adding glucose oxidase (GOD) to the CDs/TMB system, a colorimetric method for glucose detection was developed. The results show that Fe-CDs possess the highest catalytic activity. When using Fe-CDs as peroxidase mimetics, the detection limit of this assay for glucose was 0.029 mmol L-1. This successfully provides a sensitive and selective colorimetric method for hydrogen peroxide and glucose determination.

Metabolomics revealed the photosynthetic performance and metabolomic characteristics of Euglena gracilis under autotrophic and mixotrophic conditions

Photosynthetic and metabolomic performance of Euglena gracilis was examined and compared under autotrophic and mixotrophic conditions. Autotrophic protozoa (AP) obtained greater biomass (about 33% higher) than the mixotrophic protozoa (MP) after 12 days of growth. AP maintained steady photosynthesis, while MP showed a remarkable decrease in photosynthetic efficiency and dropped to an extremely low level at day 12. In MP, low light absorption and photosynthetic electron transport efficiency, and high energy dissipation were reflected by the chlorophyll (chl a) fluorescence (OJIP) of the protozoa. The values of Ψ_O, Φ_Eo, and ET_O/RC of MP decreased to extremely low levels, to 1/15, 1/46, and 1/9 those of AP, respectively, while DI_O/RC increased to approximately 16 times that of AP. A total of 137 metabolites were showed significant differences between AP and MP. AP accumulated more monosaccharide, lipids, and alkaloids, while MP produced more amino acids, peptides, and long-chain fatty acids including poly-unsaturated fatty acids. The top nine most important enriched pathways obtained from KEGG mapping were related to ABC transporters, biosynthesis of amino acids, purine metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism. There were significant differences between AP and MP in photosynthetic activity, metabolites, and metabolic pathways. This work presented useful information for the production of high value bioproducts in E. gracilis cultured under different nutritional conditions.

An integrated nanoflower-like MoS2@CuCo2O4 heterostructure for boosting electrochemical glucose sensing in beverage

Excessive glucose in food poses a non-negligible threat to its inherent quality and human health, which makes it imperative to develop a highly sensitive sensor for real-time glucose detection. In this work, an integrated electrochemical glucose sensor based on a nanoflower-like MoS₂@CuCo₂O₄ heterostructure was carefully constructed. Under optimal conditions, the as-fabricated sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 1,303 μA mM^-1 cm^-2 over a wide range of 0.5-393.0 μmol/L, accompanied by a low determination limit (0.5 μmol/L) and short response time (2.1 s). The favorable sensing performance of the MoS₂@CuCo₂O₄ nanocomposite-modified electrode in electrochemical analyses was attributed to the introduction of unique nanoflower-like heterostructure and the synergistic effects between MoS₂ and CuCo₂O₄. Furthermore, the satisfactory applicability of this sensor in beverages was confirmed. These results demonstrate that the MoS₂@CuCo₂O₄/GCE may be a promising platform for sensitive monitoring of glucose content in food samples.

Rapid, real-time sucrase characterization: Showcasing the feasibility of a one-pot activity assay

Sucrases can modify numerous carbohydrates, and short-chain oligosaccharides produced by the unique transfructosylation activity of levansucrases are promising candidates for the growing sugar substitute market. These compounds could counteract the increasing number of diseases associated with the consumption of high-calorie sugars. Thus, there is great interest in the characterization of novel levansucrases. The commonly used method for sucrase activity determination is to quantify d-glucose released in the sucrose-splitting reaction. This is usually done in a discontinuous mode, i.e., several samples taken from the sucrase reaction are applied to a separately performed d-glucose determination (e.g., GOPOD assay). Employing the newly isolated levansucrase LevS_KK21 from Pseudomonas sp. KK21, the feasibility of a one-pot sucrase characterization was investigated by combining sucrase reaction and GOPOD-based d-glucose determination into a single, continuous assay (Real-time GOPOD). The enzyme was characterized with respect to kinetic parameters, ion dependency, pH value, and reaction temperature in a comparative approach employing Real-time GOPOD and HPLC. High data consistency for all investigated enzyme parameters demonstrated that current processes for sucrase characterization can be considerably accelerated by the continuous assay while maintaining data validity. However, the assay was not applicable at acidic pH, as decolorization of the quinoneimine dye formed during the GOPOD reaction was observed. Overall, the study presents valuable data on the potentials of real-time sucrase activity assessment for an accelerated discovery and characterization of interesting enzymes such as the hereby introduced levansucrase LevS_KK21. Progress in sucrase discovery will finally foster the development of health-promoting sucrose substitutes.

Analysis of the chemical composition of natural carbohydrates - An overview of methods

Natural carbohydrates are gaining importance over a wide spectrum of human activity due to their versatile functionalities. The properties of carbohydrates are currently used in many branches of industry and new possibilities of their utilization, like in medicine or materials science, are demonstrated systematically. The attractive properties of carbohydrates result from their chemical structure and ability to form macromolecules and derivatives. Each application of carbohydrate requires a knowledge of their chemical composition, which due to the number and differentiation of monosaccharides and their spatial forms is often challenging. This review presents an overview on sample preparation and the methods used for the determination of the fine chemical structure of natural carbohydrates. Most popular and reliable colorimetric, chromatographic and spectroscopic methods are presented with an emphasis on their pros and cons.