Label-free voltammetric screening of human blood serum

Abstract

The current study presents a comprehensive voltammetric investigation into the direct analysis of untreated human blood serum in a phosphate buffer at an unmodified, graphite electrode by means of voltammetry. By employing advanced square-wave voltammetry at an edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode (EPPGE), the basic principles were established for developing a sensitive, fast, simple, and label-free method for the simultaneous screening of uric acid, bilirubin, and albumin analytes that are present in human blood serum and are quite essential for rapid medical diagnostics. The electrochemical protocol utilizes the specific structural patterns of the EPPGE, the inherent redox and adsorption properties of the analysed analytes, and the sensitivity and rapidity of the employed advanced voltammetric technique. The methodology has been successfully applied for quantification of the considered analytes in a series of samples of human blood serum and was compared with the standard methods used in a clinical biochemical laboratory. This novel method represents a significant advancement towards the development of point-of-care devices aimed at swiftly and simultaneously quantifying uric acid, bilirubin, and albumin levels in human serum.