Point-of-Care Testing of Whole Blood for Liver Injury Auxiliary Diagnosis with Biothiols Activable Chemiluminescent Probe

Liver injury significantly affects a patient's health and quality of life. However, timely and convenient diagnosis of this disease via whole blood detection remains challenging due to the lack of user-friendly and fast readout blood test methods. Herein, we developed such a method for the swift auxiliary diagnosis of liver injury via whole blood detection using a customed point-of-care testing (POCT) system consisting of a biothiols-activatable chemiluminescent probe and a hand-held POCT device. Biothiols served as the target to build the activable chemiluminescence probe due to their abnormal level in liver injury. Compared with fluorescent and electrical POCTs, this method is more convenient and has strong universality. By incorporating cyclodextrin via host-guest chemistry, we intensified chemiluminescence while mitigating chemical hemolysis caused by the dissolution of organic molecules, making this system suitable for whole blood analysis. Preliminary assessments in aqueous solutions, living cells, and mouse models confirmed its sensitivity, reliability, and feasibility. Simply mixing blood with the probe for 30 min yielded a clear signal readout within 15 s on the POCT device. Utilizing this portable detector, the reduced biothiol level was tested in 18 liver injury patient blood samples, and the results were similar to those measured by a commercial kit and in vivo imaging system. Thus, this work provides a universal platform for the fast and convenient detection of other biomarkers in whole blood samples and opens up possibilities for the rapid clinical diagnosis of diseases, enabling patients to conduct home self-examinations with ease.