Development of a textile based protein sensor for monitoring the healing progress of a wound

Abstract

This article focuses on the design and fabrication of flexible textile-based protein sensors to be embedded in wound dressings. Chronic wounds require continuous monitoring to prevent further complications and to determine the best course of treatment in the case of infection. As proteins are essential for the progression of wound healing, they can be used as an indicator of wound status. Through measuring protein concentrations, the sensor can assess and monitor the wound condition continuously as a function of time. The protein sensor consists of electrodes that are directly screen printed using both silver and carbon composite inks on polyester nonwoven fabric which was deliberately selected as this is one of the common backing fabric types currently used in wound dressings. These sensors were experimentally evaluated and compared to each other by using albumin protein solution of pH 7. A comprehensive set of cyclic voltammetry measurements was used to determine the optimal sensor design the measurement of protein in solution. As a result, the best sensor design is comprised of silver conductive tracks but a carbon layer as the working and counter electrodes at the interface zone. This design prevents the formation of silver dioxide and protects the sensor from rapid decay, which allows for the recording of consecutive measurements using the same sensor. The chosen printed protein sensor was able to detect bovine serum albumin at concentrations ranging from 30 to 0.3 mg/mL with a sensitivity of $$0.0026 \mu $$ 0.0026 μ A/M. Further testing was performed to assess the sensor’s ability to identify BSA from other interferential substances usually present in wound fluids and the results show that it can be distinguishable.

Smart Geosynthetics and Prospects for Civil Infrastructure Monitoring: A Comprehensive and Critical Review

“…Generally, different unsaturated polymeric substrates including polythiophene, polypyrrole, polyaniline, polyacetylene, polyurethane, and polystyrene containing different conductive fillers specifically CNMs are used as conductive inks or pastes [221][222][223][224][225][226][227]. A non-conductive polymer is used on the surface of the host bed as an interface layer to improve the interaction and surface condition before the printing process [221,[228][229][230]. The printing of complex circuits with high delicacy, simplicity of the process, economy, and diversity of the host platform are the main advantages of this method.…”

Development and Prospective Applications of 3D Membranes as a Sensor for Monitoring and Inducing Tissue Regeneration

“…Protein—Sensing Membranes: Protein concentrations in wounds have been used as an indicator of the state of the wound stages due to the stability of protein concentrations toward the active external environment surrounding the exudate [ 125 ]. El Saboni et al [ 126 ] designed a flexible textile-based protein sensor that was embedded in wound dressings and was able to detect bovine serum albumin at concentrations ranging from 30 to 0.3 mg/mL, with a sensitivity of 0.0026 µA/M. Currently, to provide stressing indicators in wound healing, 3D membrane-binding sensors are being developed to integrate several detection indicators (e.g., pH, temperature, pO 2 , and protein concentrations) into one.…”

“…Meticulous curation by physicians is unrealistic, especially in this long-term healing process; hence, as mentioned previously, integrating therapeutic molecules and electrotherapy with 3D membranes represent an effective strategy to resolve this issue [ 133 ]. Some novel 3D membrane-binding sensors that are integrated into wound dressings and artificial tissues or organs have the ability not only to sense and detect the wound environment conditions but also to give spontaneous feedback to wound sites, serving to keep the patient informed about their condition and reduce physician intervention to some extent [ 116 , 120 , 126 , 134 ]. Wound pH-responding sensors, flexible bioelectronic sensors, and flexible bio-implanted sensors are new types of 3D membrane-binding sensors that provide ideal integrations with the soft, curvilinear, and elastic tissues and the unique capability of multimodal functions, enabling the better monitoring of the wound healing status, as well as providing advanced wound care and a spontaneous stimulation to accelerate the healing status [ 134 , 135 ].…”