Point-of-care testing of Procalcitonin using lateral flow assay

This study presents a novel gold nano shells (GNS)-assisted paper-based lateral flow assay (LFA) for the detection of procalcitonin (PCT). PCT is a biomarker of infection, originating from the C cells of the thyroid gland and functioning as a precursor to the hormone calcitonin. Its concentration in the blood is known to increase in line with the progression of infectious diseases. Conventional techniques for assessing PCT levels in the blood encompass culture-based methods, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and electrochemical immunoassays. These methods are characterized by either prolonged processing times, high costs, or dependence on laboratory infrastructure. These limitations hinder their practical implementation in point-of-care settings. As a result, the development of a LFA for detecting PCT levels proves to be well-suited for point-of-care settings, serving as a valuable diagnostic tool for infectious diseases. This study focuses on comparing the efficacy of GNS and gold nanoparticle (GNP)-assisted lateral flow assays (LFA) to ascertain the lower limit of detection (LOD) for PCT and assess their overall reliability. Our findings indicate that GNS-assisted LFA achieved a lower LOD of 1 ng/mL, surpassing GNP, which exhibited a LOD of 5 ng/mL. Furthermore, outstanding specificity was demonstrated and clinical application capability in human serum was confirmed, reinforcing its efficacy as a reliable platform.Clinical Relevance-GNS-assisted LFA provides a simple, rapid, and cost-effective method for detecting PCT levels from clinical samples.