Development of a Nonenzymatic Colorimetric Sensor for the Detection of Uric Acid Based on Ionic Liquid-Mediated Nickel Nanostructures

Uric acid (UA) is a metabolic byproduct of purine nucleotides and is excreted as a urine component. Abnormalities in UA metabolism cause localized inflammation due to crystal deposition and can lead to various diseases. In the current study, we successfully fabricated a biosensor based on 1-H-3-methylimidazolium acetate (ionic liquid, IL)-capped nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs) for the detection of uric acid in test samples. The structures of IL-capped NiNPs and their precursors were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The IL-capped NiNPs possessed intrinsic peroxidase-like properties and displayed selective UA quenching after interacting with 3,3 ',5,5 '-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) solution. Different parameters such as pH, time, IL, TMB, and UA concentration were optimized to obtain the best results for the proposed sensor. The UA biosensor shows good responses in the linear range from 1 x 10(-8) to 2.40 x 10(-6) M, with a lower limit of detection of 1.30 x 10(-7) M, a limit of quantification of 4.3 x 10(-7) M, and an R-2 value of 0.9994. For the colorimetric detection of UA, the proposed sensor gave a short time response of 4 min at room temperature and pH 7.5. The proposed sensing probe detects UA in real serum samples and could be used as a selective sensor for UA in the real sample detection.

Automated summary

A biosensor based on ionic liquid-capped nickel nanoparticles was successfully fabricated for the detection of uric acid, showing good response and selective detection ability. The research demonstrated that the sensor could detect uric acid in real serum samples.