A novel paper-based device coupled with a silver nanoparticle-modified boron-doped diamond electrode for cholesterol detection

•Novel PAD coupled with AgNP/BDDE for cholesterol determination was developed.•Wide linear range, low detection limit and high selectivity were achieved.•This sensor was successfully applied for cholesterol determination in bovine serum.•This platform offers the advantages of low sample/reagent consumption and low cost.

A novel paper-based analytical device (PAD) coupled with a silver nanoparticle-modified boron-doped diamond (AgNP/BDD) electrode was first developed as a cholesterol sensor. The AgNP/BDD electrode was used as working electrode after modification by AgNPs using an electrodeposition method. Wax printing was used to define the hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas on filter paper, and then counter and reference electrodes were fabricated on the hydrophilic area by screen-printing in house. For the amperometric detection, cholesterol and cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) were directly drop-cast onto the hydrophilic area, and H2O2 produced from the enzymatic reaction was monitored. The fabricated device demonstrated a good linearity (0.39 mg dL−1 to 270.69 mg dL−1), low detection limit (0.25 mg dL−1), and high sensitivity (49.61 μA mM−1 cm−2). The precision value for ten replicates was 3.76% RSD for 1 mM H2O2. In addition, this biosensor exhibited very high selectivity for cholesterol detection and excellent recoveries for bovine serum analysis (in the range of 99.6–100.8%). The results showed that this new sensing platform will be an alternative tool for cholesterol detection in routine diagnosis and offers the advantages of low sample/reagent consumption, low cost, portability, and short analysis time.

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