School of Biomedical Engineering, Hainan University, Sanya 572000, China.
Sensors (Basel). 2024 May 23;24(11):3351. doi: 10.3390/s24113351.
Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are complex compounds closely associated with several chronic diseases, especially diabetes mellitus (DM). Current methods for detecting AGEs are not suitable for screening large populations, or for long-term monitoring. This paper introduces a portable autofluorescence detection system that measures the concentration of AGEs in the skin based on the fluorescence characteristics of AGEs in biological tissues. The system employs a 395 nm laser LED to excite the fluorescence of AGEs, and uses a photodetector to capture the fluorescence intensity. A model correlating fluorescence intensity with AGEs concentration facilitates the detection of AGEs levels. To account for the variation in optical properties of different individuals' skin, the system includes a 520 nm light source for calibration. The system features a compact design, measuring only 60 mm × 50 mm × 20 mm, and is equipped with a miniature STM32 module for control and a battery for extended operation, making it easy for subjects to wear. To validate the system's effectiveness, it was tested on 14 volunteers to examine the correlation between AGEs and glycated hemoglobin, revealing a correlation coefficient of 0.49. Additionally, long-term monitoring of AGEs' fluorescence and blood sugar levels showed a correlation trend exceeding 0.95, indicating that AGEs reflect changes in blood sugar levels to some extent. Further, by constructing a multivariate predictive model, the study also found that AGEs levels are correlated with age, BMI, gender, and a physical activity index, providing new insights for predicting AGEs content and blood sugar levels. This research supports the early diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, and offers a potentially useful tool for future clinical applications.
糖基化终产物（AGEs）是与多种慢性疾病密切相关的复杂化合物，尤其是糖尿病（DM）。目前检测 AGEs 的方法不适合对大量人群进行筛查，也不适合长期监测。本文介绍了一种便携式自体荧光检测系统，该系统基于生物组织中 AGEs 的荧光特性，测量皮肤中 AGEs 的浓度。该系统采用 395nm 激光 LED 激发 AGEs 的荧光，并用光电探测器捕获荧光强度。一个将荧光强度与 AGEs 浓度相关联的模型有助于检测 AGEs 水平。为了考虑不同个体皮肤光学特性的变化，系统包括一个 520nm 光源进行校准。该系统具有紧凑的设计，尺寸仅为 60mm×50mm×20mm，并配备了用于控制的微型 STM32 模块和用于延长操作的电池，便于受试者佩戴。为了验证系统的有效性，对 14 名志愿者进行了测试，以检验 AGEs 与糖化血红蛋白之间的相关性，结果显示相关性系数为 0.49。此外，对 AGEs 荧光和血糖水平的长期监测显示出相关性趋势超过 0.95，表明 AGEs 在一定程度上反映了血糖水平的变化。此外，通过构建多元预测模型，该研究还发现 AGEs 水平与年龄、BMI、性别和身体活动指数相关，为预测 AGEs 含量和血糖水平提供了新的见解。这项研究为糖尿病等慢性疾病的早期诊断和治疗提供了支持，并为未来的临床应用提供了一种有潜力的工具。
