Min Jihong, Ahn Hyunah, Lukas Heather, Ma Xiaotian, Bhansali Rinni, Sunwoo Sung-Hyuk, Wang Canran, Xu Yadong, Yao Dickson R, Kim Gwangmook, Li Zhaoping, Hsiai Tzung K, Emami Azita, Jung Hee-Tae, Gao Wei
Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Nat Electron. 2025 Jun 27. doi: 10.1038/s41928-025-01407-0.
The gastrointestinal tract contains a wealth of chemical information that can be used to decipher the health of the digestive and nervous systems. Traditional methods of analysis, such as fecal analysis and biopsies, are invasive, costly, and incapable of providing real-time metabolic and hormone profiling across the gastrointestinal tract. Commercial ingestible capsule sensors have been developed, but only monitor basic markers, such as pH and pressure, neglecting detailed chemical analysis. Here we report an integrated smart capsule that can simultaneously detect a spectrum of biochemical markers, including electrolytes, metabolites, and hormones. The capsule, which is termed PillTrek, is 7 mm in diameter and 25 mm in length, and houses a miniaturized wireless electrochemical workstation capable of executing a range of electrochemical measurement techniques (potentiometry, amperometry, voltammetry, and impedimetry), allowing it to interface with a variety of electrochemical sensors and detect various parameters in the gut. Using an array of sensors (serotonin, glucose, pH, ionic strength, and temperature), we illustrate the capabilities of the system in vitro and in vivo in animal studies involving rat and rabbit models, monitoring the dynamic profile of these crucial biomarkers and their responsiveness to different dietary intakes.
胃肠道包含丰富的化学信息，可用于解读消化系统和神经系统的健康状况。传统的分析方法，如粪便分析和活检，具有侵入性、成本高，且无法提供整个胃肠道的实时代谢和激素谱。已开发出商用可吞咽胶囊传感器，但仅监测诸如pH值和压力等基本指标，忽略了详细的化学分析。在此，我们报告一种集成智能胶囊，它能够同时检测一系列生化指标，包括电解质、代谢物和激素。这种名为PillTrek的胶囊直径7毫米，长度25毫米，内置一个微型无线电化学工作站，能够执行一系列电化学测量技术（电位分析法、安培分析法、伏安分析法和阻抗分析法），使其能够与各种电化学传感器连接，并检测肠道中的各种参数。我们使用一组传感器（血清素、葡萄糖、pH值、离子强度和温度），在涉及大鼠和兔子模型的动物研究中展示了该系统在体外和体内的能力，监测这些关键生物标志物的动态谱及其对不同饮食摄入的反应。
