LED-based photothermal device for rapid uric acid detection

Blood uric acid (UA) levels are closely associated with various diseases. This study presents a novel UA photothermal detection system. UA reacts with uricase to generate hydrogen peroxide, which then oxidizes 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into oxidized TMB (oxTMB) in the presence of copper ions as the catalyst. Crucially, instead of expensive laser, Light Emitting Diode (LED) was applied to offer the irradiation on oxTMB, inducing a temperature increase. The increment of temperature measured by a handheld household thermometer exhibits a linear correlation with the concentration of UA in the samples. This method demonstrates enhanced detection sensitivity and excellent anti-interference capabilities. It has been successfully applied to precisely determine UA levels in volunteer blood samples. The sensing platform achieves portable UA detection in human blood within 3 min, featuring a linear response range of 50–400 μM, a detection limit (LOD) of 14.4 μM. This work establishes a novel miniaturized LED-based photothermal (LED-PT) uric acid detection device, holding significant potential for rapid, portable UA monitoring in healthcare and clinical diagnostics.