Detection of Skin Cholesterol by a Molecularly Imprinted Electrode

Abstract

Our research goal is based on the acquisition of bio-information from the analysis of skin components by using a simple test. Controlling the total cholesterol level is important for preventing lifestyle-related diseases. Approximately 11% of the body’s cholesterol is present in the skin and is equal to the percentage found in the blood. Therefore, we focused on a simple and non-invasive method of measuring cholesterol by using a solvent to extract the skin component. The extracted solution was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a molecularly imprinted self-assembled monolayer (SAM) sensor. The molecularly imprinted SAM electrode had high responsiveness and sensitivity, which were attributed to its strong affinity toward hydrophobic cholesterol due to the presence of a long side chain and the complementary structure of the cavity. The subject with the highest skin cholesterol level showed higher blood cholesterol concentration, while the subject with the lowest skin cholesterol level showed the lowest blood cholesterol concentration. Since the coefficient of correlation of the non-invasive method using the SAM electrode and the invasive conventional method was 0.9408, it was concluded that the former method had great potential for practical use.