PEDOT coated microneedles towards electrochemically assisted skin sampling.
Siti Musliha Ajmal MokhtarMiko YamadaTarl W ProwMark MooreXanthe L StrudwickDrew R EvansPublished in: Journal of materials chemistry. B (2023)
Skin sampling is a diagnostic procedure based on the analysis of extracted skin tissues and/or the observation of biomarkers in bodily fluids. Sampling using microneedles (MNs) that minimize invasiveness is gaining attention over conventional biopsy/blood lancet. In this study, new MNs for electrochemically assisted skin sampling are reported, specifically tailored for combined skin tissue biopsy and interstitial fluid (ISF) extraction. To overcome risks associated with using metal MNs, a highly electroactive, mechanically flexible, and biocompatible organic conducting polymer (CP) coated onto plastic is chosen as an alternative. Two different variants of doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) are coated on polymethyl methacrylate and used in combination as a MN pair with subsequent testing via a variety of electrochemical techniques to (i) give real-time information of the MN penetration depth into the skin, and (ii) yield new information on various salts present in the ISF. The MN skin sampler shows the ability to extract ions from the hydrated excised skin as a step towards in vivo ISF extraction. The presence of ions was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This added chemical information in conjunction with the existing biomarker analysis increases opportunity for disease/condition detection. For example, in the case of psoriasis, information about salt in the skin is invaluable in combination with pathogenic gene expression for diagnosis.
Keyphrases
- soft tissue
- wound healing
- gene expression
- quantum dots
- computed tomography
- social media
- dna methylation
- gold nanoparticles
- ionic liquid
- high resolution
- magnetic resonance imaging
- magnetic resonance
- minimally invasive
- mass spectrometry
- working memory
- oxidative stress
- room temperature
- climate change
- atopic dermatitis
- label free
- sensitive detection
- tandem mass spectrometry