IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-65453-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

pH calibration allows accurate glucose detection in interstitial fluid via reverse iontophoresis

Author

Listed:
  • Wangwang Zhu

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Haixia Yu

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Wenjun Li

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Xi Li

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Hao Zheng

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Chengcheng Li

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Xingguo Zhang

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Chenxi Jin

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Mutian Wang

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Jiaqi Hou

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Youhao Liu

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Yuxiao Ma

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Zhongxu Zhou

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Miao Deng

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Peng Guo

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Mingzhen Li

    (Tianjin Medical University Chu Hsien-I Memorial Hospital & Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Lab of Hormones and Development and Tianjin Key Lab of Metabolic Diseases)

  • Zhenqiang Song

    (Tianjin Medical University Chu Hsien-I Memorial Hospital & Institute of Endocrinology, NHC Key Lab of Hormones and Development and Tianjin Key Lab of Metabolic Diseases)

  • Zhihua Pu

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

  • Dachao Li

    (Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments)

Abstract

Reverse iontophoresis (RI) is a promising non-invasive, wearable technology for the transdermal extraction of interstitial fluid (ISF), which contains rich biomarkers relevant to health status. Despite the advancement of wearable sensors, this technology is still restricted for accurate non-invasive biomarkers detection. The main challenge lies in the instability of ISF extraction during RI. We found that this instability is primarily caused by the skin surface pH variations because of the interaction between the RI-induced H+ movement and the skin recovery ability. Here, we investigated how the skin surface pH affected RI, theoretically and experimentally; and developed a wearable device and a calibration method to enable accurate non-invasive ISF glucose detection, accordingly. The result showed that glucose prediction accuracy was markedly improved, with mean absolute relative difference (MARD) decreased from 34.44% to 14.78% across both healthy and diabetic volunteers.

Suggested Citation

  • Wangwang Zhu & Haixia Yu & Wenjun Li & Xi Li & Hao Zheng & Chengcheng Li & Xingguo Zhang & Chenxi Jin & Mutian Wang & Jiaqi Hou & Youhao Liu & Yuxiao Ma & Zhongxu Zhou & Miao Deng & Peng Guo & Mingzhe, 2025. "pH calibration allows accurate glucose detection in interstitial fluid via reverse iontophoresis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-65453-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65453-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65453-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-65453-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-65453-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.