Simultaneous detection of pH value and glucose concentrations for wound monitoring applications.

Aging population and longer life expectancy are the main reasons for an increasing number of patients with wound problems. Although the interest in wound care increases continuously, wound management still remains a challenge mainly due to the higher occurrence of chronic wounds, which require intensive care and constant monitoring. Here, we demonstrate a fluorescent sensing system to monitor the wound status and to distinguish between an autonomously healing and a chronic wound at an early stage. The system allows monitoring two of the most relevant fluctuating wound parameters during the healing process which are pH and glucose concentration. A fluorescent pH indicator dye, carboxynaphthofluorescein, and a metabolite-sensing enzymatic system, based on glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase, were immobilized on a biocompatible polysaccharide matrix to develop a functional hydrogel coating for wound monitoring. The changes in metabolite and enzyme concentration in artificial wound extract were converted into a fluorescent signal.

Encapsulation of FRET-based glucose and maltose biosensors to develop functionalized silica nanoparticles.

Silicate nanoparticles with immobilized FRET-based biosensors were developed for the detection of glucose and maltose. Immobilization of the protein biosensor in the nanoparticle was achieved through specific interaction between the hexa-histidine tag of the protein and a calcium-silicate complex of the silica matrix. Encapsulation of the biosensors preserved the affinity for the respective sugar. Compared to the free biosensors, encapsulation had a stabilizing effect on the biosensor towards chemical and thermal denaturation. The demonstrated immobilization strategy for specific sensing proteins paves the way towards the development of protein-inorganic nanostructures for application in metabolite analyses.