Aptasensors Are Conjectured as Promising ALT and AST Diagnostic Tools for the Early Diagnosis of Acute Liver Injury

Abstract

Abnormal levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in human serum are the most sensitive indicator of hepatocellular damage. Because liver-related health problems are directly linked to elevated levels of ALT and AST, it is important to develop accurate and rapid methods to detect these enzymes for the early diagnosis of liver disease and prevention of long-term liver damage. Several analytical methods have been developed for the detection of ALT and AST. However, these methods are based on complex mechanisms and require bulky instruments and laboratories, making them unsuitable for point-of-care application or in-house testing. Lateral flow assay (LFA)-based biosensors, on the other hand, provide rapid, accurate, and reliable results, are easy to operate, and are affordable for low-income populations. However, due to the storage, stability, batch-to-batch variations, and error margins, antibody-based LFAs are considered unaffordable for field applications. In this hypothesis, we propose the selection of aptamers with high affinity and specificity for the liver biomarkers ALT and AST to build an efficient LFA device for point-of-care applications. Though the aptamer-based LFA would be semiquantitative for ALT and AST, it would be an inexpensive option for the early detection and diagnosis of liver disease. Aptamer-based LFA is anticipated to minimize the economic burden. It can also be used for routine liver function tests regardless of the economic situation in each country. By developing a low-cost testing platform, millions of patients suffering from liver disease can be saved.

A time series driven model for early sepsis prediction based on transformer module

“…Damaged liver cells release damage-associated molecular patterns, triggering a more severe systemic inflammatory response, and in severe cases, it can lead to death [ 31 ]. Abnormal levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) are sensitive indicators of liver cell damage [ 32 ]. Early testing of liver function parameters before the onset of sepsis can improve patient survival to some extent.…”

Low-Cost Point-of-Care Monitoring of ALT and AST Is Promising for Faster Decision Making and Diagnosis of Acute Liver Injury

“…The test lines having the partial complementary or secondary aptamer, based on the aptamer-target binding ration, produce the color on the test line. The control lines have a long complementary capturing agent, which captures the excess aptamers, validating the performance of the device [ 28 ]. Similarly, an aptamer-based lateral flow assay was developed for the semiquantitative detection of the new anticoagulant drug Dabigatran etexilate (DBG) using aptamer-conjugated gold nanoparticles [ 29 ].…”

Biosensing of Alpha-Fetoprotein: A Key Direction toward the Early Detection and Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…Ideal biosensors are affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid, robust, require no added equipment, and are deliverable to the user [31]. The application of biosensors in the biomedical and bioanalytical fields, especially for biomarker detection and early diagnosis, has increased dramatically over the past decade [32][33][34][35]. Researchers have focused mainly on enhancing the limit of detection (LOD), time-dependent sensitivity, and selectivity of the target analyte.…”