Open Meter Duo: Low-Cost Instrument for Fluorimetric Determination of Cholinesterase Activity

Abstract

Environmental screening is essential due to the increased occurrence of harmful substances in the environment. Open Meter Duo (OMD) is an open-source field photo/fluorimeter that uses an RGB diode that imitates a color according to the selected wavelength and uses a UV LED from the security kit diode as an excitation light source. The prepared PCB shield with a 3D-printed aperture was connected to Arduino UNO R4 WiFi. This system was used for the fluorescent detection of cholinesterase activity with the indoxyl acetate method. Carbofuran—a toxic pesticide—and donepezil—a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s disease—were tested as model inhibitors of cholinesterase activity. The limit of detection of indoxyl acetate was 11.6 μM, and the IC50 values of the inhibitors were evaluated. This system is optimized for wireless use in field analysis with added cloud support and power source. The time of analysis was 5 min for the fluorimetric assay and 20 min for the optional photometric assay. The time of field operation was approximately 4 h of continuous measurement. This system is ready to be used as a cheap and easy control platform for portable use in drug control and point-of-care testing.