Development of a disposable bile acid biosensor for use in the management of cholestasis

Abstract

Measurement of serum bile acid concentration is a valuable tool for the management of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and is also useful in the monitoring of other liver diseases. This study describes the development of a disposable bile acid biosensor, based on commercial screen-printed electrodes, towards a point-of-care measurement system for serum bile acids. Here a common serum bile acid, taurocholic acid, was used to calibrate the biosensor in 80% (v/v) human serum, at clinically relevant levels, using chronoamperometry. A good correlation between the concentration of the bile acid and the measured currents is reported. The limit of detection was below the threshold for management of ICP (40 μM). The linear range of the biosensor exceeded 150 μM for taurocholic acid with a relative standard deviation between measurements of below 5%. We propose this as a simple and rapid method for quantifying bile acids in human serum, which could be used in the clinical management of ICP.