New microfluidic paper-based analytical device for iron determination in urine samples

Iron is an important micronutrient involved in several mechanisms in the human body and can be an important biomarker. In this work, a simple and disposable microfluidic paper-based analytical device (mu PAD) was developed for the quantification of iron in urine samples. The detection was based on the colorimetric reaction between iron(II) and bathophenanthroline and the reduction of iron(III) to iron(II) with hydroxylamine. The developed mu PAD enabled iron determination in the range 0.07-1.2 mg/L, with a limit of detection of 20 mu g/L and a limit of quantification of 65 mu g/L, thus suitable for the expected values in human urine. Additionally, targeting urine samples, the potential interference of the samples color was overcome by incorporating a sample blank assessment for absorbance subtraction. Stability studies revealed that the device was stable for 15 days prior to usage and that the formed colored product was stable for scanning up to 3 h. The accuracy of the developed device was established by analyzing urine samples (#26) with the developed mu PAD and with the atomic absorption spectrometry method; the relative deviation between the two sets of results was below 9.5%.

Automated summary

A simple and disposable microfluidic paper-based analytical device (muPAD) was developed for the quantification of iron in urine samples, showing a high accuracy and stability in the analysis process.