Paper-based analytical devices for electrochemical study of the breathing process of red blood cells

•Paper could physically trap red blood cells on the surface of working electrodes.•The permeability of paper allows oxygen or nitrogen to reach cells without disturbance.•The breathing process of red blood cells could be electrochemically studied.•Electrochemical responses might be ascribed to reduction of oxyhemoglobin.

Herein we utilized the filter paper to physically trap red blood cells (RBC) to observe the breathing process of red blood cells based on the permeability of the filter paper. By integrating double-sided conductive carbon tape as the working electrodes, the device could be applied to monitor electrochemical responses of RBC for up to hundreds of minutes. The differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) peak currents increased under oxygen while decreased under nitrogen, indicating that RBC could take in and release oxygen. Further studies demonstrated that the RBC suspension could more effectively take in oxygen than the solution of hemoglobin and the supernatant of RBC, suggesting the natural advantage of RBC on oxygen transportation. This study implied that simple paper-based analytical devices might be effectively applied in the study of gas-participating reactions and biochemical detections.

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