Complexation of L-lactate with boronic acids: a solution and holographic analysis.

Boronic acids have been used as receptors for the detection of diols and alpha-hydroxy acids. The incorporation of 3-acrylamide phenyl boronic acid (3-APB) into a hydrogel generates a suitably responsive and fully reversible holographic sensor for L-lactate. However, it was also found that the use of 3-APB resulted in the sensor being responsive towards a number of other compounds containing two hydroxy groups.

Measurement of glucose in blood with a phenylboronic acid optical sensor.

Background: Current methods of glucose monitoring rely predominantly on enzymes such as glucose oxidase for detection. Phenylboronic acid receptors have been proposed as alternative glucose binders. A unique property of these molecules is their ability to bind glucose in a fully reversible covalent manner that facilitates direct continuous measurements.

Continuous blood glucose monitoring with a thin-film optical sensor.

Background: We recently described a holographic optical sensor with improved selectivity for glucose over fructose that was based on a thin-film polymer hydrogel containing phenylboronic acid receptors. The aim of the present work was to measure glucose in human blood plasma as opposed to simple buffers and track changes in concentration at a rate mimicking glucose changes in vivo.

Methods: We used holographic sensors containing acrylamide, N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide, 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid, and (3-acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride to measure 7 human blood plasma samples at different glucose concentrations (3-33 mmol/L) in static mode.

Holographic lactate sensor.

Measurement of blood l-lactate is used to assess and monitor exercise performance in sports medicine. This report describes the initial development of a holographic sensor, which employs a synthetic receptor, to enable the selective and continuous real-time measurement of l-lactate for eventual in vivo application. Three boronic acid-based receptors have been synthesized, integrated into thin acrylamide hydrogel films, and then subsequently transformed into holographic sensors.

Holographic glucose sensors.

A novel holographic sensor system capable of detecting dynamic changes in glucose concentration has been developed. The hologram is recorded within a bio-compatible hydrogel matrix containing phenylboronic acid derivatives. On binding glucose, the colour of the hologram red-shifts to longer wavelengths as the hydrogel expands and this colour change is used to quantify glucose concentration.